James and the Baby Sitter
by LilyHeartsJames
Summary: When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But for just how long can she resist the charming James Potter?
1. chapter 1

_**James and the Baby-Sitter**_

**Summary: **_**When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to meet and fall for their eldest son. But can she show James that looks and money can't buy you love? **_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly :(_

**Notes: **_Okay so this idea has popped into my head a couple of times but I dismissed it. But now I'm deciding to go along with it and see where it goes. Oh, and don't worry. I haven't forgotten about AVON, this is just something new._

_On to chapter one:_

A girl with long wavy red hair was sitting at a café reading an unusual newspaper. It had moving pictures and words, and of course in the Muggle world that wasn't considered as 'normal'. Then again, she wasn't considered normal in the Muggle world either.

If you looked at her, you'd say she was normal.

But she wasn't.

No, this girl was a witch. And not one of those ones you'd read about in fairy-tales. She didn't have warts all over her body, or a long warty nose. She didn't have green skin either.

But she could produce magic.

Her emerald almond shaped eyes skimmed the highly unusual newspaper that was dubbed; '_The Daily Prophet' _and paused at the section which was labeled; '_Jobs Galore_'.

She looked down the aisle of jobs, going over them in her mind.

_House cleaning. _No she didn't fancy that.

_Healer trainee? _No, she'd have to be out of school for that.

_Grocery Store, shelf packing. _No, definitely not.

She sighed.

_There probably aren't any jobs good enough, _she thought sadly.

But she owed it to her father and her sister to look for a job, whether they were good enough or not.

She continued scanning it, hoping to find the right job.

And that's when she did.

_Baby-sitting. 9 am to 8:30 pm._

Lily looked up and smiled.

She had found the perfect job.

"Hello, this is Lily Evans. I was just calling about the-"

"Baby-sitting job?" a woman's voice answered, sounding hopeful and Lily smiled. That was generally a good thing.

"Yes, I am" Lily replied and she heard the woman sigh with relief.

"Oh thank god! I put that add up a week ago and no one had rung up about it"

"I was just wondering how many children do you have?"

"I have three. But my eldest son is seventeen and he shouldn't be around too much. I would have him baby-sit but he doesn't exactly think it's the best way for him to spend his summer. And I have a ten year old son and a five year old daughter"

"Okay. They don't seem like too much trouble" Lily said and the woman coughed.

"Yes. I was just wondering, do you have any experience?"

Lily couldn't help but smile.

"I used to baby-sit my cousins. They were six and four. And I also baby-sat for my neighbors but they moved away a few years ago"

"Alright. If you don't mind me asking; how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen"

The woman paused for a moment.

"Okay, well if you're willing, the jobs there for you"

Lily didn't even hesitate.

"I'll take it"

There was yet another pause.

"May I ask why you need this job?"

Lily really did hesitate this time.

"My… father isn't working at the moment and we need the money"

"Oh, I'm sorry. But thank you. I'll call with details tomorrow morning and set everything up, alright?"

Lily told her it was fine and they said goodbye and hung up.

She got off the chair she was sitting on beside the phone and walked into the kitchen.

"Petunia?"

Her eldest sister looked up from filing her nails on the counter.

"What?"

"I got a job. I'll be baby-sitting"

Petunia sighed with relief.

"Thank god! At least I'll have money to get a manicure" she said holding up her hands for inspection.

"Petunia the money isn't for your nails; it's for us to eat"

Petunia shook her long blonde hair and bared her horsey teeth.

"Lily, I'm the oldest so what I say goes"

Lily glared at her.

"You're not in charge, Petunia. Dad is"

"Well do you see him around? No. He's upstairs crying over mum"

Lily's fists curled up and her nails dug into her flesh.

"If mum hadn't left then he wouldn't be! He's heart broken Petunia!"

"Yeah well I don't blame mum for leaving"

Lily closed her eyes.

"Then why are you still here?"

Petunia opened her mouth and closed it.

"Because no matter what, you're my family"

Petunia turned and walked out of the kitchen and into her room and slammed her door.

Lily sighed and walked over to the back door and opened it and went outside to her wooden swing that was attached to the big willow tree and sat on it and started swinging slowly, wondering whether everything would turn out okay, because at the rate things were going she wasn't sure how well she could cope.

"Hello, may I please speak with Lily?"

Petunia rolled her eyes and set the phone down.

"Freak! Phone!" She turned and walked off and Lily hurried out of the kitchen, pushing the lose strands of hair behind her ears and getting flour on her face.

"Hello?"

"Hello Lily, its Mrs. Potter. I spoke with you yesterday about-"

"The baby-sitting job" Lily answered for her.

"Yes. I just wanted to give you directions to the house so you can get there"

"Okay Mrs. Potter. I'll just go and get a pen"

Lily turned and walked into the kitchen, and came back with her notebook and a pen.

She scribbled down the address and then she informed Mrs. Potter that she'd be there at nine and they hung up.

Lily sighed and then pinned the note on the fridge as a reminder and continued making the chocolate cake.

The next morning Lily got up at seven and began to get ready. She got dressed, (wearing a green t-shirt with a yellow smiley face and flared jeans with black dock martins) and then did her hair.

As she looked in the mirror, she decided to go with two braids.

She did that and left her fringe out (which fell just below her eyebrows) and then hurried down the stairs to find her father and Petunia already eating breakfast.

"Morning dad" Lily said kissing his cheek and gave Petunia a smile which wasn't returned and sat down at the table.

Silence went all around the table as Lily watched her father eat his cereal with a worried look until he looked up at her and said; "Lily, please stop worrying. I'm fine"

Lily sighed and looked away.

"What time do you need to go?"

Lily looked at her watch before answering.

"I have to be there a bit before nine and I'll be home at eight-thirty tonight, is that okay?"

Her father nodded in reply and silence fell upon them once more.

A few minutes passed and they heard the postman push the mail through the flap and Lily got up to go get it.

In the hall she went through the envelopes, wondering if she had any mail at all.

Bills, more bills… even more bills, postcard from her father's sister, a letter from her mother…

Lily froze as she stared at it.

It was addressed to her and she couldn't believe it.

She hastily ripped open the letter and slid down on to the ground and leaned against the wall to read it.

_Dear Lily and Petunia,_

_I'm just writing to see how you are. I know I didn't say much of a goodbye, and I'm hoping you will forgive me for that._

_I just moved to France, where Andrew and I have bought a house overlooking a fabulous restaurant._

_We have made plans to go and eat there, I shall write to you soon and tell you about all the fantastic food they have._

_I miss you girls a lot, and I'm sorry for leaving. I was young and was forced by my father to marry someone I barely knew, but I thought your father was a respectable man. Although our married life wasn't horrible, I found myself wanting more out of life and felt myself being held back._

_This is a chance for me to find myself. _

_Anyway, I must dash._

_We want to go and see a museum he hinted would be very interesting._

_Love you both lots,_

_Mum_

_XXX_

Lily looked up from the letter and crumpled it angrily.

So, her father, sister and herself had been holding her mother back from seeing museums and dining in 'fabulous' restaurants, and running off with a younger man without as much as an explanation, or even a goodbye.

Lily's hands shook as she stood up and stuffed the letter into her pocket and walked into the kitchen, trying her best to act as of everything was okay.

But they both saw through it immediately.

"Lily, what's wrong?" her father asked and she sighed.

"Nothing… I'm just nervous about this job, that's all. Actually I think I'll get going now"

She handed the mail to her father and turned to walk out.

"I'll see you when I get home" Lily said before grabbing her coat and closing the door.

She strode angrily down the footpath towards her destination, hot tears welling up in her eyes.

She wouldn't even think of replying to her mother. Her mother had chosen to leave them without saying goodbye.

And Lily and _her_ family had held Marie Evans back from doing what she wanted with her life.

So why would she be writing to them when they had held her back?

Lily walked up the path towards the tall mansion and looked at it in awe.

It was very, very big and it was a pale white. The steps leading down to the front path were made of marble and it gleamed nicely in the morning sun.

"Wow" she whispered softly.

Swallowing the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, she leaned forwards and knocked three times on the door.

_**A/N: **_**Hey guys! I edited this chapter a bit because it thought there wasn't something right about it but I went back and fixed a few things up, but nothing drastic so fear not.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you all review and tell me what you think so far, every review will be very much appreciated.**

**Love always, LilyHeartsJames**


	2. chapter 2

_**James and the Baby-Sitter**_

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to meet and fall for their eldest son. But can she show James that looks and money can't buy you love?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :( _

**Notes: **_Wow! Guys, I'm really, really impressed at the feedback I got! I really appreciate them! Dude, seriously they made me want to get another chapter out to you. You guys motivate me!_

And a few of you have asked about whether Lily and James know each other. No they don't. Well, Lily knows James' name and everything (who wouldn't at Hogwarts) but she's one of the shy people who aren't often noticed so that's why she didn't freak when she used the name 'Potter' because she didn't think at the time. So James doesn't really know Lily, except… well you'll find out soon!

**Dedication: **_This chapter goes to; _Larissa, LadyKnightSusan, Cherrykisses21, Serenity12345, griffindor-girl12, hrypotrox72, bookworm2butterfly, RemusheartsTonks, ihearthpfanfic, hollisterlove x3, b3lla, shetlandlace, wishfuldreams11, Smiling Serenade aaand Blue-Eyed Chica!

_And now onto chapter 2! _

_**Previously:**_

Lily walked up the path towards the tall mansion and looked at it in awe.

Swallowing the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, she leaned forwards and knocked three times on the door…

It was utter chaos in the Potter household.

Katherine Potter, who was commonly known as Kate, or Mrs. Potter had been trying to get her children organized for the past hour.

Her oldest, James, was sitting upstairs in his room listening to loud rock music, or what she called it; 'noise'. Her other son, Aaron was busy going up and down the stairs on his skateboard without a helmet which she had instructed him to wear, and also to skate outside. Her daughter, who was the youngest, was upstairs playing 'Barbies' which she had tried to get her brothers to join in on, but as usual they decided not to.

It wasn't long before she went to work and her children weren't making it very easy for her.

"James Austin Potter can you please turn off that racket and come down here and help me?" she called up the stairs but received no reply.

She sighed and stalked up them but half-way there she was almost run over by her ten year old son.

"Aaron! Take that dangerous thing outside this instant and for Merlin's sake, put on a helmet!"

He ignored her and kept skating and she continued up the stairs but was stopped again by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Oh Merlin's beard!" She exclaimed and hurried back down to the door.

She opened it and saw a girl of about seventeen standing there, looking nervous.

"Oh, you must be Lily! Hi, I'm Katherine Potter. Please come in"

She stepped back and allowed her to come in and they stood in the hallway.

"I'll have to get James to show you around the house because I'm running late but- AARON! I told you outside, not inside! And wear a helmet or you'll damage your brain! Oh, sorry dear. There's food in the fridge if they get hungry. James will most likely keep to himself and- JESSIE! Stop hitting your brother with your Barbie doll!" Mrs. Potter shouted distractedly.

"I'm not a sook!" A girl of about five years old shouted angrily as she whacked her blonde haired Barbie doll over a ten year old's head. The boy's ocean blue eyes flashed angrily and he rubbed his chestnut brown messy hair.

"Stop hitting me!"

"Not until you apologize!"

"Well I won't apologize! Sookie la-la! OW!"

"Stop" SMACK! "Calling" WHACK! "Me a sook!" THUMP!

"OW! Mum! She's killing me!"

"JAMES! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!!" Mrs. Potter yelled as she tried to keep her two fighting children apart.

"Is there anything I can do?" Lily asked and then she heard a shout of; "Get the tranquilizer gun!"

Lily nodded but then turned around.

"A WHAT?"

The seventeen year old Wizard who was standing at the foot of the stairs grinned at her before hurrying down to help his mother.

His jet black 'I just got out of bed' hair stuck up in all directions and his hazel eyes flashed in annoyance as he tried to hold onto his brother while Mrs. Potter picked up the struggling girl who had the same coloured eyes as her eldest brother and long curly black hair.

"Let me at him! Put me down NOW!" She shouted and Lily stood there taking in everything in amazement.

"Stop it! I have to go to work!"

Mrs. Potter was still holding onto her daughter for dear life whereas her younger son had seemed to calm down.

The eldest let him go and he took off whereas the eldest turned to look at Lily who was standing there with her jaw hanging open.

"Don't worry, it's an everyday occurrence in our house" he said and flashed her grin.

"James Potter" he said holding out a hand and that's when it clicked.

James Potter…

JAMES Potter…

James POTTER…

JAMES POTTER!!!

Lily could not believe it as she stood there gawking at him and he gave her a weird look.

"Are you okay?"

Lily's emerald eyes widened in realization at how she must have looked and nodded.

"Fine" she said in a squeaky voice and he couldn't help but smile.

"You have a name?"

"Lily Evans" she replied nervously as Mrs. Potter continued to struggle with her daughter who was yelling but even over all that Lily and James could still hear each other.

James raised an eyebrow.

"You go to Hogwarts don't you?"

Lily nodded slowly.

"That's it!" he said clicking his fingers, startling her.

"You're the smartest in our year! The br-"

James cut himself short and coughed loudly.

He had almost called her The Brain, a nickname she was cruelly called behind her back. Needless to say it was him and his best friend Sirius Black who had made it up.

"JAMES! A little help! Take care of your sister or I'll be even more late!" his mother cried and he took hold of the young girl who had begun to cry and want her mother.

"Jessie sweetheart I have to go to work now, but I'll be home before you know it, I promise"

"I want you home NOW!" Jessie screamed and James covered a hand over her mouth to stifle her noises.

"James when she's quietened down will you show Lily around the house please? Thank you! I'll see you all later" Mrs. Potter said as she turned left on the spot and was gone with a loud _crack!_

Lily turned to James as he put Jessie down but she latched herself to his legs.

"I want mummy!" she cried and he blushed a bit as he tried to pull her off and then when he gave up he looked at Lily expectantly.

Lily stood there, thinking quickly.

"Um… Jessie? Are you hungry?'

Jessie turned to Lily and she stopped crying in an instant and nodded.

"Yes" she sniffled and held up her hand for Lily to take and together they walked into the kitchen, leaving James there ruffling his hair and watching them in confusement.

"This is the best PB and J samidge I ever eated!" Jessie said happily as she munched on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Aaron ate his more slowly and didn't comment as Lily leaned against the bench and James stood next to her, eating his own.

"Hey Aaron? It's the bestest ever!"

Aaron merely shrugged.

"It's okay" he mumbled and Lily frowned.

"Are you alright?" he looked up at her and nodded before turning away and continuing to eat.

James finished his sandwich and put his plate in the sink and dusted his hands off on his clothes.

He then turned to Lily and asked her if she was ready to see the house.

"Okay" Lily agreed and Jessie stood up and hurried over to them, carrying her plate.

"I wanna come!" she said and James raised an eyebrow at her.

"Aaron are you coming?" Lily asked and he shook his head.

"I'm going to watch some T.V" he announced and carried his own plate into the lounge room while the other three walked out.

James and Jessie showed her the entertainment room, bathroom, laundry room, bedrooms, the study, the cupboard under the stairs, lounge room and every other room there was.

While they had been gone, Aaron had started to gobble down his sandwich as if he had never eaten before in his life.

He got up and took his plate into the kitchen and went outside where the broom shed was and opened it and took out a Quaffle and went back inside.

He started throwing it up into the air when Jessie came in and joined him.

Lily couldn't believe her luck.

She was baby-sitting James Potter's brother and sister and she had a good, decent job.

So far everything had gone great, except for when she had first came and Jessie and Aaron were fighting.

Lily and James were both walking along the hallway when he stopped at his bedroom.

"I'm going to hang out in here for awhile"

Lily nodded in return.

"Okay"

"And if you need me, you know where I'll be. And if you get lost, look around for a door very much like this and it will have a sign indicating that it's my room. Cheerio" he said and backed into his room and closed the door, leaving Lily staring at it with both her eyebrows raised.

She turned to go downstairs and check on the kids when there was a sudden loud crash followed by a loud yell of "OW!"

James' door flew open as he saw her standing there, her eyes widened.

"What the hell was that?" he asked walking over to the edge of the stairs where he looked over the railing.

"I have no idea" Lily said as she too looked worriedly over the railing.

"OW! OW! Stop touching it!" They heard Aaron yell and they both glanced at each other briefly before turning and running down the stairs.

"Ow! Sodding hell!" they heard him yell and they burst into the lounge room and saw Aaron sitting on the floor holding a bleeding arm while Jessie sat in front of him sobbing.

The glass table in front of the couch had a hole the size of a Quaffle which hadn't been there before and Lily searched the room for the red ball and found it in front of the T.V.

Lily and James took in the scene before hurrying over to the two kids.

Aaron was rocking back and forth, blood dripping onto the carpet and Jessie was hunched up and crying.

And then James said exactly what Lily was thinking:

"Oh shit"

They took them into the kitchen, Aaron's arm wrapped in a towel whilst Jessie followed, drying her eyes.

"I-is h-he g-gonna b-be o-okay?" she asked, her voice sounding shaky. James put Aaron on-top of the bench and Lily pulled the towel away slowly and carefully and inspected it.

Aaron made a hissing noise as Lily took hold of his arm and she muttered a quick sorry before pulling out her wand.

"Okay hang on" James said, his hand shooting out quickly and taking hold of the other end of the wand and pointing it away from his brother.

"Are you exactly sure you know what you're doing?" he asked a little nervously.

"I'm training to become a healer and I know a few spells"

James shook his head.

"I don't think this is such a good idea" he said unsurely.

"James, if I didn't know these spells correctly then I wouldn't trust myself to do them and I wouldn't have suggested the idea in the first place"

James crossed his arms and looked at her thoughtfully.

"You look innocent enough" he stated and she raised an eyebrow.

"So is that a yes?"

"It's an I'll think about it"

Lily sighed.

"James he's bleeding and he's losing a lot of blood and he might have some glass stuck in his arm"

At this Jessie began to bawl loudly and James sighed.

"You do whatever you can and I'll take care of Jessie and get her to be quiet"

Lily nodded.

"And Evans?"

She turned to look at him.

"I trust you, since you're like, the baby-sitter. And normally it takes a lot to gain my trust especially in these times and-"

"I'll take care of it"

He nodded and picked Jessie up and went into the lounge room to give Lily and Aaron some privacy.

"Thank god" he muttered and Lily smiled.

"Didn't help much?"

Aaron nodded. "It just made it worse"

"It's nice she cares about you though"

He nodded again.

"Before when you were fighting it seemed like-"

"Okay, baby-sitter? No offence or anything but can you hurry up and fix me? It might not look like it but I'm in a lot of pain"

Lily chuckled.

"Sorry" she muttered and began to heal his arm while he winced a bit from time to time.

"All better?"

Aaron flexed his arm and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks… baby-sitter"

Lily smiled.

"No problem. And it's Lily by the way"

Aaron shrugged.

"Whatever"

He hopped off the bench and hurried into the lounge room and Lily followed him in and watched James get up off the couch where Jessie was sitting and examined his arm and then looked up and smiled gratefully at Lily.

"Thanks Evans, I owe you one"

She shrugged. "I'm happy to help out. I am the baby-sitter after all. And I don't know if I'll let you two out of my sight again" she added and Jessie and Aaron glanced at each other and smirked.

The day went by and Lily found herself running after Aaron and Jessie who had gone to the local park around the corner without asking and causing her to have a huge fit and was actually hyperventilating until they had walked into the lounge room where James was trying to calm her down and ended up shouting at them, causing Jessie to start crying all over again.

After that, Lily had got them ice cream and Jessie had got it all over her face, hands and clothes and had to clean her up and got James to wash her overalls and red t-shirt.

Lily then took Jessie upstairs and helped her into some more clothes (a pink dress which she had picked out herself) and then took her downstairs, carrying her Barbie house while Jessie carried her Barbie and Ken doll.

And then Jessie had asked a very awkward question which left her and James not knowing what to say.

"Where do babies come from?"

Lily and James glanced at each other, nervously.

They stared at each other for a minute as if they were expecting the other one to answer.

"Well?" Jessie asked and even Aaron looked up in interest.

"Um… well you see Jessie-" Lily began but was interrupted by James.

"The mummy and the daddy love each other very much and then they go into a room and-"

"Write a letter to the um… stork and then it carries in a little baby in a bundle" Lily finished quickly before James could say anything else.

He smirked at her and Jessie opened her mouth.

"Does that mean I'm adopted?"

Her eyes were shining with tears and Lily shook her head quickly.

"Nope, it just means that your mum and dad love you unconditionally"

"Oh… what does unconditionally mean?" Jessie asked and looked back down at the Barbie dolls.

"Um… no matter what" James replied.

"What does that mean?" Jessie repeated and James frowned at her.

"It means-"

"A friend of mine told me that the mummy and daddy have sex" Aaron piped up and James, who was drinking lemonade leaned forward and spat it out and it went all over the carpet.

"Ooops" he muttered giving Lily a shifty look as he pointed his wand at it and muttered: "Scourgify!" and the spillage was gone in a heartbeat.

"Lucky I got that out or mum would've killed me" he said and Lily nodded.

"Lucky we fixed the table" Lily said looking at the glass table in front of them.

"What's sex?" Jessie asked and James and Lily glanced at each other.

"That is um…" Lily glanced at James worriedly.

"The stork's… name" James told her and nodded intelligently.

"The stork's name is sex?" Jessie and Aaron asked at the same time.

"Yep. But don't go telling mum we told you this, she wouldn't be very happy"

"Okay" Jessie said nodding but Aaron smirked.

The rest of the day hadn't been too bad. Jessie asked Lily if she could play with her hair because she wanted to be a hairdresser when she grew up.

Lily had agreed and sat down on Jessie's bed and took her hair out and she started to brush it and James took Aaron outside and went flying on their brooms.

Jessie grabbed a tonne of scrunchies and put Lily's hair up in a lot of pigtails and admired her long wavy hair when she took them back out.

She then asked Lily whether she liked her hair.

Lily smiled as Jessie brushed it carefully and said; "When I was younger, a lot of kids would tease me about it and call me 'carrot' and I guess I hated it for that. But then I got used to all the teasing and then I actually started liking my hair"

Jessie passed her a bobby pin and she pinned her fringe back and Jessie smiled.

"You look very pretty Lily"

Lily grinned at her.

"Thank you Jessie. You look pretty too"

Jessie went pink and mumbled "thanks" and then the bedroom door opened and James poked his head in and opened his mouth but didn't get the words out as he stared at Lily.

Lily blushed and Jessie giggled and he came back to his senses.

"Uh Jessie you need to have a bath"

Jessie sighed.

"Now?" she whined and James nodded.

"Fine! But I want Lily to wash my hair! You hurt me" she said as she got up from the bed. He was glad for an excuse to look at Lily again as he opened the door wider.

"Do you mind?"

Lily shook her head.

"No, not at all"

He nodded and smiled.

"I've already filled up the tub so in you go"

Jessie got up and walked over to the door and said; "I'll call out to you Lily"

The redhead nodded in reply and Jessie left the room leaving James standing there awkwardly.

"Um… I'd better get back downstairs" he said hastily and slipped out of the room and Lily watched the door close and heard his footsteps fade away further down the hall.

- - -

Lily was brushing Jessie's long wet black hair as she sat there watching T.V.

It was almost eight-thirty and the kids would need to be in bed at that time.

Jessie was wearing pink silky pajamas and Aaron was wearing his ninja turtle pajamas.

He was watching the T.V as well and he looked bored.

James however was making Lily and himself chocolate milkshakes.

"Night Jessie" Lily said as she pulled the duvet over the small girl who gave her a tired smile.

"Nigh, nigh Lily" she replied and rolled over and faced her back to her.

Lily then went next door to Aaron's room and knocked before she opened the door and went in.

"Hey" she said walking over to him as he lay there with the duvet pulled up to his chin.

He didn't say anything in reply and Lily sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure you got to bed okay"

"I'm fine" he muttered and she nodded.

"Okay then. Goodnight Aaron"

Aaron grunted in reply and she turned the light off and closed the door and walked down the stairs where James was sitting in the lounge room already sipping his chocolate milkshake.

He smiled as she sat down on the other end of the couch and sipped on her own and leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Tired much?"

Lily smiled at him.

"Yeah just a little"

He grinned and pulled out his straw and took a sip from the cup and Lily burst out laughing and he stared at her.

"What?"

"You have a milkstache" she said and they both laughed.

James wiped it off on his sleeve and glared at her.

"Shut it Evans" he warned and she just coughed and continued drinking.

"So is it good or bad?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Depends. Is there poison in this?"

He smirked. "Oh darn, you weren't supposed to figure that out yet"

She rolled her eyes and the front door opened and Mrs. Potter walked in and saw the two seventeen year olds sitting on the couch and Lily was laughing at James because he had managed to get another 'milkstache' as she called them.

"Oh hey mum" James said wiping his mouth on his sleeve again and his mother smiled.

"Hello James, Lily"

"Hi Mrs. Potter" Lily replied giving her a cheerful smile.

"I trust everything went okay?"

Lily and James glanced at each other before Lily answered.

"Um actually-"

"Everything was fine. They were really good. Didn't try to kill each other or anything" James cut in and Lily tried not to look surprised.

Mrs. Potter raised her eyebrows.

"Okay. Lily I'll just give you the money now. Would you rather it in Muggle money or-"

"Muggle money would be easier thanks Mrs. Potter" Lily said and Mrs. Potter nodded and went into the kitchen.

Lily and James followed her and put their cups into the sink and James washed them out and Lily dried them and they both put them away.

"Here you go Lily. Thank you so much. I really needed this"

Lily smiled at her.

"It's okay. I needed the job"

"So do you think you'd come back tomorrow?"

Lily smiled happily.

"If you'll have me"

Mrs. Potter nodded.

"Of course"

"Besides, they aren't that much trouble"

She glanced at James who looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"Really?" Mrs. Potter asked looking surprised.

Lily nodded.

"Well, I'd better be going. My dad's probably wondering where I am anyway"

"Would you like James to walk you home?"

"Thanks but I think I'll just Apparate"

Mrs. Potter nodded.

"Thanks again Lily"

Lily smiled and waved and turned left and was gone with a loud _crack!_

"Okay what happened?" Mrs. Potter asked turning to her son.

James shrugged. "Nothing Lily couldn't handle"

He turned and began to walk out of the kitchen.

"Goodnight James"

He turned around and smiled at her.

"Night mum"

**A/N: Okay so this is the second chapter! It'll get better soon as Lily grows closer to the Potters. But for now she's just getting used to them.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys read, review and like it.**

**Any feedback is welcome.**

**Thanks again!**

**Love always and forever,**

LilyHeartsJames


	3. chapter 3

_**James and the Baby-Sitter**_

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But can she show James that looks and money can't buy you love?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :( _

**Notes: **_Okay so this is the edited version of chapter 3. Since I have no internet (I'm coping) I haven't spent much time on the computer but I was just reading and got into the mood for writing so I decided to edit these because I read them and figured I could fix them up a little bit. Although I actually think I might fix APON a little bit, you know, my grammar and stuff like that._

_Anyways, I'm going to let you guys just read. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)_

Like the day before it was utter chaos.

Aaron was skating up and down the stairs and he wasn't wearing a helmet.

Jessie was sliding down the railing and Mrs. Potter was almost pulling her hair out as she tried to stop her children from creating even more havoc.

Lily felt bad for the older woman who pushed her slightly graying chestnut brown hair out of her face and stood at the bottom of the staircase with her hands on her hips.

Aaron kept yelling at Jessie and she kept yelling back at him and James was no where to be seen.

"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Potter finally yelled and Aaron jumped off of his skateboard and it crashed into the wall, leaving a mark. Jessie slid down to the bottom of the stair case and hopped off, looking alert.

"I am going to work, Lily is here if you need anything and-"

Jessie burst into tears as she ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Potter's legs.

"Don't go mummy! Don't go! Stay here!"

Mrs. Potter's heart broke as she looked down into her daughter's eyes and she didn't want to leave Jessie like that.

"Sweetheart, mummy is just going to go for a few hours, I'll be home tonight I promise"

Jessie shook her head.

"No! Now!"

Lily watched the mother make attempts to get her child to let go and felt uncomfortable just standing there.

Mrs. Potter tried to gently pry her daughter's arms from around her legs but gave up.

Lily shook her head and wondered if she should do something to help Mrs. Potter.

Then an idea struck her.

"Hey Jessie if you let your mum go I'll take you to the park later"

It worked in an instant as the five year old let go of her mother and turned to look at Lily.

"Promise?"

Lily smiled at her and nodded.

"You bet"

Jessie turned back to her mother, as if she was unsure to trust the redhead. She had only met her the day before yesterday!

Her mother nodded and said; "I think that's a great idea, you can take Cindy Jane with you"

Lily frowned.

"Who's Cindy Jane?"

"That's my dolly. I got her for my birthday last year!"

Lily nodded and smiled. "Why don't you show her to me Jess?"

Jessie nodded and said goodbye to her mother and Mrs. Potter slid out the door.

In all the chaos Aaron had left and wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's your brother?" Lily asked and Jessie shrugged.

"Let's go get Cindy Jane and then we can find Aaron" the little girl suggested and together they walked upstairs.

"Is James home?" Lily asked curiously. Surely he would have heard all the noise and tried to help out!

"He went out with some friends last night and he stayed at Remus' house. Sirius and James will be home soon. Sirius lives here with us but he wasn't here yesterday 'cause he was at his girlfriend's house"

Lily nodded and they went inside Jessie's room.

It wasn't the biggest room of the house but it was reasonably big enough for a five year old and all her toys. Jessie had more toys then she had clothes, and she had a lot of clothes.

The five year old walked over to a doll pram and leaned over it and then straightened up. Jessie turned around, holding a doll which had little blonde piggy tails and a cute little pink dress on. The doll's nappy could just be seen.

"This is Cindy Jane. Cindy Jane, this is Lily. She's my baby-sitter"

Lily smiled and Jessie held her doll out to Lily.

"You can hold her if you want"

Lily took the doll gently from Jessie and looked at it and looked back at Jessie.

"She's really beautiful Jessie"

Jessie nodded and took Cindy Jane back and hugged the doll.

"Cindy Jane is my favourite. Can she come to the park too?"  
Lily nodded. "If its okay with Cindy Jane then of course she can come"

Jessie grinned and walked towards the door.

"Let's go find Aaron"

Lily followed her out and they heard the TV on in the lounge room and made their way in and found Aaron sitting on the couch watching cartoons.

"Hey Aaron, do you want to come with us to the park?" Lily asked and stood by the couch.

"Yeah okay"

"I'm just going to make some sandwiches and then we can get going"

Lily walked into the kitchen and left Aaron sitting there with Jessie who sat next to him.

"I thought you were going to do whatever you could to get rid of her?" Aaron asked glaring at his sister.

Jessie stood up and said; "I'm gonna go help Lily"

She walked over to the kitchen door but she didn't miss the words that came out of Aaron's mouth.

"It's just gonna happen again. But it'll be worse this time"

Jessie ignored him and went into the kitchen to help Lily.

"I like swings" Jessie said as she put Cindy Jane into the baby seat and she started pushing her softly.

Lily sat on the other one and swung slowly, looking around at the playground.

"I used to love coming here as a kid. You know, my sister Petunia and I used to swing on these exact swings? I used to always swing really high and Petunia would tell me not to because we weren't allowed. Then I'd jump off mid-swing just to annoy her and she'd always get worried about me hurting myself. But I never did"

Jessie watched Lily swing slowly and said; "Because you're a witch?"

Lily nodded and sighed.

"There was this kid though. He used to hide out in the bushes and spy on us all the time"

"Do you know him?" Jessie asked and a small smile formed on Lily's face.

"I used to, well… at least I thought I did"

Jessie got the feeling Lily didn't want to talk about it anymore so she changed the subject.

"When I went to play group last year there was a little boy who kept following me around and he always teased me and pulled my hair. He was really mean to me though"

"I'll let you in on a secret. Guys are usually mean because they like you"

"Really?" Jessie asked and stared at Lily.

"In some cases" Lily replied and watched Aaron going down the slide and talking to another little boy around his age.

"Are you and James friends?"

Lily turned to look at Jessie and frowned.

"Not really. I mean, we go to the same school and everything… but we've never really hung out before"

"Do you like James?" Jessie pressed on and Lily sighed.

"He seems like a nice person… I just don't really know him that well"

Jessie nodded and watched Aaron and his friend make a sand castle.

"I just wish he'd care about us"

Lily raised an eyebrow and asked; "Why do you think James doesn't care about you?"

Jessie shrugged.

"I don't know. He's just… never around much. I think he thinks that if he hangs out with me and Aaron then he won't be cool"

Lily swung slowly and carefully and thought for a moment.

"I think he does care about you. He was really worried about Aaron the other day; he didn't want me to fix his arm because he was afraid something would go wrong. Have you tried talking to him about how you feel?"

Jessie shook her head.

Lily stood up and Jessie grabbed Cindy Jane and they walked over to a bench.

"James doesn't really do that kind of stuff. He doesn't talk… like this"

Lily smiled.

"Well I think you should talk to him and maybe, he might just understand how you feel"

Jessie shook her head.

"Nah, it doesn't matter anyways. It's not important"

"Then why are you upset about it?"

Jessie stood up and turned to look at Lily, her hands on her hips.

"You don't know me. You don't know how hard it is. I bet you've got a perfect little life and you probably don't have any problems and-"

"Hey! I'm only trying to help you, but if you don't want my help then fine! I won't bother"

Lily turned and stalked off angrily and Jessie yelled out; "FINE!" and walked over to Aaron.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Aaron asked stupidly as the kid beside him frowned. **(A/N: I love it how Hermione says that to Ron if GOF)**

"What wand? Do you have a wand? Cool can I see it?"

Jessie and Aaron glanced at each other before Aaron said; "It was a joke"

The kid blushed and mumbled something about ice cream and stumbled off towards his mother.

"What's up Jess?" he asked and Jessie sat down in the sand and sighed.

She picked some up in her hand and then let it fall back to the ground and Aaron waited for her answer.

"Me and Lily sort of got in a fight"

Aaron smirked and raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

"James… and stuff. I told her he doesn't care about us and she told me to talk to him. But you know he hates doing the whole talking thing"

Aaron nodded his head.

"Like it's any of her business"

Jessie shrugged.

"Then I kind of said she had a perfect life and she just… snapped at me. She said that she was just trying to help"

Aaron looked up and saw Lily swinging slowly and he saw her head ducked down and wondered if she was crying. He saw her look up and realized she hadn't been and his eyes darkened as she glanced at him and quickly looked away.

"All the others used to do that"

"What others? Do what?"

Aaron rolled his eyes.

"You know who I'm talking about. Them… they tried to tell us that James really did care about us and that we should tell him about how we feel and all this other stuff. It's a bunch of crap if you ask me"

Jessie watched her brother as he started tracing his name in the sand.

"I feel mean, I was being bad to Lily"

"Don't feel bad Jessie! She's just trying to do that to soften you up and make you like her, and then she'll do it too. Just like the others did"

Jessie shook her head.

"Lily's different"

"I used to say that about the others but they all did the same thing… it all ended the same way"

Jessie closed her eyes and stood up and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Aaron asked and frowned at her.

"To say sorry to Lily. I like her"

"Its already happening and you don't even know it" he replied and glared at her.

"I'm not listening to you"

"Jessie I'm just trying to protect-"

"Lalalala not listening! I'm not listening! Still not listening! Lalalala!"

Jessie hurried off and walked over to Lily and saw Cindy Jane swinging next to her in the baby swing.

Jessie walked over and stood behind her doll and began to push her slowly, watching Lily tentatively.

"Jessie I'm-"

"I'm sorry Lily! You were just trying to help and I was really mean so I'm sorry! You don't hate me do you?"

Lily smiled at the small girl and shook her head.

"No, I don't hate you. Of course I don't. And I'm sorry too"

Jessie smiled and walked over and hugged the red head and Aaron watched from a distance and he frowned deeply.

Lily pulled back and said; "You want some ice cream?"

Jessie grinned at her.

"Have I told you how cool you are?"

"Not enough" Lily replied and stuck her tongue out.

"You're so cool!" Jessie shouted and grabbed Cindy Jane and hugged Lily one more time.

Lily laughed and said; "I'll meet you at the ice cream truck, I'll just go get Aaron"

Jessie nodded and ran all the way to the ice cream truck. Lily walked over to Aaron who was sitting in the sand and drawing pictures in it. He then started burying a basketball and didn't look up or answer when she called his name.

"Aaron? Aaron?"

She frowned and he continued burying the ball and she walked over and kneeled beside him.

"Jessie and I are going to get some ice cream. Would you like some?"

Aaron finally looked up at her after a few minutes and glared at her.

"No" he snapped and he noticed she looked taken aback.

"No thanks"

Lily nodded and straightened up slowly.

"Let me know if you change your mind okay?"

He shrugged.

"Whatever"

"Well we'll be at the truck if you need anything"

He shrugged again and repeated himself.

"Whatever"

Lily sighed and stepped back before turning and walking over to Jessie and Cindy Jane.

"Hey have you chosen which flavor you want yet?"

"Yep! Chocolate chip! Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top"

Lily smiled and ruffled her hair, glad that the fight they had had was well and truly in the past.

"Good on you kiddo"

"What about you? Which flavor are you getting?" Jessie asked and Lily straightened up and looked at the flavors.

"You know what? I reckon I'll get rainbow with bubblegum sauce"

Jessie made a disgusted face. "Ewww!" she exclaimed and Lily laughed.

"Why are you getting that?"

Lily shrugged.

"My friend, Alice, and I used to get crazy flavors every time whenever we could. That was when we were young and crazy though. We haven't done it in ages. Now we just order something plain… and boring"

Jessie frowned. "Is chocolate chip boring?"

Lily chuckled. "No because it's got chips in it. I'm not saying they're bad flavors or anything. It's just that Alice and I would dare each other to eat a certain flavor"

"Really? It sounds pretty risky"

"Yeah, this one time I had chocolate, rainbow, macadamia nut and jelly mixed with bubblegum, chocolate and raspberry sauce with marshmallow fluff sticking out the top" Lily smiled at the memory and Jessie giggled.

"What did you make her eat?"

Lily frowned as she tried to remember and then laughed.

"Raspberry, blueberry, chocolate, macadamia nut, blue jelly, licorice and a candy cane with whipped cream and mint sprinkles allover it. The ice cream man nearly had a fit"

Jessie continued to giggle.

"Alice hated licorice a lot. And mint sprinkles. Come to think of it she didn't really like the blueberry that much either"

Jessie grinned and shook her head.

"So I think I'll be safe and just get rainbow and bubblegum sauce. And the chocolate chip for you right?"

Jessie nodded.

"Excuse me, could I please get a chocolate chip kiddy cone and a-"

"Bubblegum waffle cone and chocolate sauce with raspberry licorice bits on top please"

Lily frowned deeply as she turned around.

"Excuse me, I haven't fin… James!"

James grinned as she glared at him. "That wasn't funny. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I found your note and Sirius and I decided to come crash the fun"

"Okay… hope you have fun doing it"

"You have weird tastes" Jessie said to James who smirked.

"Yeah, well at least I'm not the only one" he looked pointedly at Lily who rolled her eyes.

"I dare you to get tuna bits on top. Chopped up ones"

Lily glared at him.

"I'm not going to be stupid enough to spoil a perfectly good ice cream and do that"

"That was the worst ice cream I've ever had!" Lily shouted and spat it in the bin.

James had ended up convincing her to get the tuna bits just as long as he got bacon bits mixed in with his.

"Tell me about it" he muttered as he threw his ice cream in the bin.

"I cannot believe I wasted my ice cream which would have tasted so nice may I add" Lily said with her hands on her hips.

"Alright then we'll get another one, but not with any bacony and fishy stuff"

Lily laughed and James ordered two others and paid and passed it to Lily.

"Thank you"

James grinned back at her.

"No problem"

Lily looked over at Jessie who was sitting with Cindy Jane on the bench and was eating her ice cream and naturally getting it all over herself. Aaron was at the skate park not far away and a tall boy of about seventeen with long jet black hair that passed his shoulders made his way over.

"Uh oh, here comes trouble" James said glancing at his best friend.

Lily looked up and chuckled.

"So while you two immature people are getting weird ice cream flavors that totally freak me out, I've been acting normal for once and hanging out with Aaron and watching him do cool tricks and listening to Jessie talk to her baby doll that can't even hear what she's saying because it isn't real and-"

"HEY! She is so real!" Jessie called out and poked her tongue at him and he repeated the gesture.

"Hey Padfoot" James greeted and Sirius high fived him.

"Prongsie… and friend" Sirius added catching sight of Lily and winking.

"How you doin?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked him and he frowned at her.

"How the hell do you know? We haven't even officially met and you know I have a girlfriend. Weirrrd!"

"I'm physic" Lily told him and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Really?"

"No. Jessie told me"

"Why?"

Lily shrugged in return.

"She just did"

"Okay… well I'm Sirius, Sirius Black but I bet you already knew that"

"Actually I did" Lily replied and he grinned.

"I bet even you know who I am" Sirius said to a stranger passing by and she frowned at him.

"Who are you again?" she asked and gave him a strange look before hurrying off.

Lily stifled a laugh and Sirius turned back to her as James smirked at him.

"So, I didn't catch your name" he told her.

Lily raised her eyebrow yet again.

"I didn't know I dropped it" she replied and looked at the ground jokingly.

"You're funny. Anyway, really what is your name?"

Sirius folded his arms and Lily sighed.

"Lily"

"I believe you've left out the other half"

"Evans. Lily Evans"

"Oh yeah! I know you! I have no idea why I didn't recognise your hair! You can see that from a mile away! You're the Bra-"

"Anyway, uh, Sirius you want an ice cream 'cause I can get you one" James cut in and Sirius frowned at him.

"James don't be rude you nudey rudey! I'm trying to talk to the Brai-"

"Really Sirius, I recommend the blueberry with chocolate chips and raspberry sauce"

Sirius looked at James oddly.

"Okay I know you have a weird ice cream sense but there is no way I'm going to try that"

James shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat mate"

Sirius sighed.

"Oh by the way, there was a message on the phone at home for you Evans. Your dad called. He said he had to take some Petunia chick to the hospital because some Vernon dude got a toilet seat stuck on his arse-"

Lily cut him off by bursting into laughter, taking both boys by surprise.

When Lily calmed down, she said; "I always wondered when he was going to get that stuck"

Sirius sniggered.

"So who's Vernon? Huh? He your boyfriend?"

Lily snorted. "Don't make me sicker then I already feel"

"That's the ice cream huh?" James asked and Lily nodded.

"Yes, actually"

"You didn't answer my question Evans" Sirius reminded her.

"Sirius-" James started but Lily shook her head.

"Vernon's my sister's boyfriend… sadly"

"You don't like him?" Sirius pressed on and Lily shook her head.

"Honestly? I have no idea what she sees in him"

"Probably what she sees on him, eh?" Sirius asked and Lily smiled.

"Probably"

"Lily! Lily! Lily! LILY!" Lily turned and saw Jessie run up to her, crying.

"Jessie what's wrong?" Lily asked kneeling down to her level.

"S-some girl s-stole my C-cindy J-jane doll a-and we w-were fighting o-over h-her and s-she r-ripped her h-head off!" Jessie wailed and she thrust the doll into Lily's arms. Lily looked down at the doll and then back up to Jessie.

"It's okay Jess-"

"No it's not! My life is over!" Jessie yelled and she turned and ran away crying.

"Don't tell me she's starting the whole 'my-life-is-over-my-life-is-unfair-my-life-isn't-worth-anything-there's-no-point-living-anymore' stage early?" Sirius asked and Lily shot Sirius an annoyed look.

"I'll be right back" she said taking the doll with her.

"I hope to god that doll has a camera so that when Evans goes to the toilet we can watch her-"

"Padfoot! You're disturbing me as always"

"Oh… more then usual perhaps?"

"Yep"

"You don't have dirty thoughts about Evans?"

James gave Sirius a very odd look.

"No, why?"

"She's the baby-sitter so she's going to be around a lot… plus she's good looking. But I mean if she wasn't The Brain at school then I'd definitely tap that"

James shook his head at his friend.

"Look Sirius, Lily's just the baby-sitter. And you can't keep calling her The Brain"

Sirius let out a bark like laugh.

"We've called her that since first year! And besides, didn't you come up with that?"

James looked away from Sirius, almost feeling ashamed.

"_Look at her! Her hair is really red, like a bloody fire truck!" eleven year old James Potter complained in the first year dorms._

"_Who?" Sirius asked as he lounged on his bed and threw a tennis ball on the roof and then caught it repeatedly._

"_That red haired girl… what's her name? The brainy one"_

_Remus looked up from his homework and frowned._

"_Lily Evans?"_

"_That's the one! That thing"_

"_I would hardly call her a 'thing' James. She's pretty nice once you get to know her"_

"_Yeah but… she's such a brainiac! She abides by every single rule and she just doesn't leave us alone. If our collars aren't folded then she'll complain to McGonagall who will then force us to! And-"_

"_Is she the one who always puts her hand up a second after a question is asked?" Peter piped up from his spot on the floor where he was munching on chocolate frogs._

_James was pacing up and down and nodded._

"_Yeah that's her. I mean, she is so annoying! I have no idea why her 'friends' tolerate her! You know what her name should be? The Brain. That's all she bloody well is!"_

_Sirius sat up, smirking._

"_Then she will be. From now on, she's known as The Brain. Nice one James"_

_James grinned and laughed along with Sirius and Peter, biting back the guilty, cruel feeling he felt._

"Yeah well I'm not exactly proud of that Padfoot"

"Whatever, I think I might get a vanilla ice cream with nuts"

James nodded and walked over to the ice cream truck with Sirius who put his arm around him.

Over the years as James had grown up, he had forgotten about the 'annoying little red haired girl' and referred to her as The Brain, like everyone else who had caught on. Anger swirled in his stomach as he thought about how mean that was now. At the time he saw it as a joke, but now… now he realized what an idiot he'd been.

Lily made her way over to the toilets and walked in, locking the door behind her.

She pulled her wand out and sat the doll and its head on the toilet seat.

"Reparo" she muttered pointing her wand at it.

The doll magically worked its way together as a bright light issued from the wand.

It had seemed as if Cindy Jane had never broken.

Lily stowed her wand back into her pocket and unlocked the door and carried the doll out and a little boy watched her curiously and gaped.

Hadn't that doll's head just been off the doll's body? And what was that strange bright light that had issued from the toilet?

He watched the redhead make her way over to a little girl and he shook his head.

Nope, he was definitely imagining things!

"Do you want anything to eat?" Lily asked the two boys and they shook their heads. They were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"No thanks Lily, we're stuffed" James said and smiled slightly at her which she returned and Sirius just so happened to see and smirked.

Jessie suddenly came back down the stairs dragging a tattered teddy bear with her.

"Hey Jess, what're you doing up?" James asked as his sister walked over and sat next to him.

"I had a bad dream" she mumbled.

"Was it the one with Sirius dressed in a tutu prancing across a stage with bright lights again?" James asked her and Sirius glared at him.

Jessie shook her head.

"I dreamt that daddy's boss called and said that he's not coming home because he fell in love with someone else and had another family that he loved even more" Jessie mumbled.

Lily who was leaning against the doorframe dropped her cup of coffee and all three turned to look at her.

She looked up apologetically.

"Sorry" she mumbled and with one swish of her wand the mess was cleaned up and she took the mug into the kitchen. Lily put it in the sink and leaned against it, pressing her hands to her face.

"Are you alright?" Lily looked up and saw James standing in front of her, looking concerned.

"Yeah, of course. I'm fine"

"You look pretty tired"

"It was a pretty long day to tell you the truth"

"If you want you can go home and Sirius and I can look after the kids"

Lily shook her head and smiled.

"Really I'm fine, but thanks anyway"

James nodded.

"Okay, if you're sure"

Lily nodded and sighed.

"Surely sure" James smiled and backed out of the kitchen but paused at the door.

"You know, if you ever need anything-"

"Thanks James" Lily cut in and he raised an eyebrow.

"I was going to say you could talk to my mum"

"Oh"

There was silence before Lily looked up at him, her cheeks red.

"You suck you know that?"

James grinned.

"You can come to me if you ever need to"

Lily nodded yet again and he walked out of the kitchen.

"You know dad wouldn't do that" James told Jessie softly and she sniffled and cuddled up to him. Lily sat on the chair and watched them carefully.

"He loves us too much" James told her and kissed the top of her head and Jessie nodded.

"Are you serious?"

"No I'm over here" Sirius said and the other three rolled their eyes.

"Yep. Positive"

"Okay. I think I can go to bed now" she got up and hugged James and Sirius and then Lily.

"Nigh nigh Lily" she mumbled to the redhead. Lily grinned at her and returned the goodnight and then asked if the small girl wanted her to tuck her in.

Jessie shook her head and waved and then trudged up stairs.

Lily turned to look at James and said; "you know Jessie thinks you don't care about her"

James looked up at Lily, looking confused.

"Huh?"

"Jessie doesn't think that you care about her. She said that you won't be cool enough if you hang out with her and Aaron"

James groaned.

"Does she really"

Lily nodded in reply.

"Afraid so"

James sighed and Sirius stood up and stretched.

"Well I'm gonna go to bed. Night all"

"Night" James and Lily said at the same time and Sirius walked up the stairs and as he went up he told them he'd go and make sure Jessie got to bed okay.

It left a very awkward silence which James broke.

"I still can't believe you dared me to get bacon bits in my ice cream" he told her grinning and she laughed.

"I can't believe you made me get tuna bits"

James shook his head.

"Let's call it a truce eh?"

"Alright" Lily got up and shook his outstretched hand and as soon as their hands touch a bolt of electricity zapped each other's hand.

"Ouch!"

Lily stared at her hand and then at James, who was doing the same.

"You zapped me!" They both shouted simultaneously.

"Dude did you have an electric buzzer thingy?" Lily asked suspiciously and James grinned and showed it to her.

"You really suck Potter"

James laughed.

"I cannot believe you fell for that. That's a classic"

Lily stuck her tongue out at him as the front door opened and in walked Mrs. Potter.

She smiled at the two and greeted them and asked how their days were as she walked into the kitchen and they followed.

James told her about the sleepover at Remus' but Lily couldn't help but feel he had left something out and noticed him bump his shoulder against the cupboard softly and saw him wince and rub it more than he should have because it was just a very light tap.

He noticed Lily watching and he turned away quickly.

He told his mother about Jessie's dream and Mrs. Potter sighed.

"She had that one last week too" she admitted as she put the groceries down.

"I don't have the time to get these after work" She murmured and Lily had already made up her mind.

"I could do it for you. I could take the kids to the grocery store and get the stuff you need"

Mrs. Potter smiled but shook her head.

"That's sweet Lily but you really don't have to"

"No it's okay, I'd like too. It'd be helping you" she told her and Mrs. Potter nodded.

"Alright. Thanks Lily. I'll most likely leave a list out on the bench and if there isn't one then don't bother unless you really need to"

Lily nodded and Mrs. Potter sighed with relief.

"Thanks a bunch Lily, you're a life saver"

Lily smiled in return and shrugged. "If that's the way it is"

James shook his head.

"Sirius and the kids are in bed and I'm about to head off myself. Unless you want me to walk you" James said turning to Lily who shook her head.

"No thanks, I'm fine really"

"Are you sure? It's just so awfully dark…" Mrs. Potter trailed off.

Lily smiled.

"If some psycho path is out then you'll hear me scream and I'll run back in here. Don't worry, I'll be fine"

Mrs. Potter nodded but still looked worried.

"Alright then. I'm gonna hit the sack. Night mum. Lily" he said nodding to her and she smiled back at him.

"Night James. Bye Mrs. Potter"

She turned and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall and out the door and along the footpath.

James grinned and then hurried up the stairs to his room.

Mrs. Potter raised her eyebrows and then realized Lily had forgotten her money.

"Oh well, it looks like she'll have to get it tomorrow"

And with that she put everything away and then went up to bed herself, passing each of her children's rooms.

She opened the door a smidge and found Aaron sitting up reading a comic book.

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing up?" she asked as she walked in and sat on the end of his bed.

"Hey mum. Just reading. I couldn't sleep"

She smiled and he put his comic on the floor and lay back down.

She pulled the covers over him and kissed his head.

"I'm glad Lily hasn't had to report any bad behaviour, which means the two of you are getting along"

"We aren't really getting along. I don't like her"

"Aaron-"

"I think she's just like the rest of them and that-"

"Hey, I'll have none of that. Lily's a sweet girl and I know she wouldn't do that to you. You should get some rest; I'll see you in the morning"

Aaron rolled over, feeling angry with his mother.

She sighed and closed his door and walked past Jessie's and saw Sirius laying on her bed beside her, both sound asleep.

A book lay open on Jessie's chest and Sirius' soft snores filled the room.

Mrs. Potter pulled a doona over him and kissed them both on the head.

She knocked on James door next and said goodnight and he replied with a mumbled goodnight and then she went into her own bedroom which seemed lonely now her husband was no longer sleeping there until he got home.

She sighed and hoped he'd get back soon. She really missed him.

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I appreciate this so much.**

**Please find the time to review, it won't take that long!**

**But even if you don't I hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep reading.**

**Love always, **LilyHeartsJames


	4. Chapter 4

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

_**By LilyHeartsJames**_

**SUMMARY: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to meet and fall for their eldest son. But for just how long can she resist the charming James Potter??_

**DISCLAIMER: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I do not own Harry Potter... sadly :( _

**DEDICATION: **_The reviewers from last chapter and the one who had to wait forever and begged me to update countless times... You guys rock!!_

**NOTES: **_Okay so I'm sorry I've left you guys hanging, like really sorry. But in the most recent chapter of AVON, I let everyone know I wouldn't be updating in awhile and it was due to my family getting rid of the internet (which turned out to be a good thing... I actually left my room and hung out with my friends and family more. Yeah, it was that bad! :P) But then I realized that I didn't do the same thing for this story so I'm extremely sorry about that. But during the internet "breakdown" I wrote some chapters for you guys and here's one of them ;)_

_**Chapter Four:**_

"EVANS!"

Lily, who was in the laundry, curiously poked her head out of the door.

"Sirius?" she asked knowing the voice's owner off the top of her head. No one else called her by her surname in this house!

"Where are you?" he asked and then he noticed the open door and headed over.

"What's up Black?" she asked jokingly. She liked to play along with Sirius, it was entertaining.

"There you are! We've run out of food. There's nothing left in this household to eat and it's driving me insane! I'm hungry!"

Lily shook her head and grabbed a container of liquid and put a couple of cups of it into the washing machine.

"You're always hungry, Sirius" she replied and closed the lid and pressed start.

"That's totally beside the point. Can we go shopping? Please, please, please?"

Lily sighed and straightened up, pushing him gently out of the room and closed the door behind her. She looked at him inquisitively and he looked down at her with sad, puppy dog eyes that he always used to get his way. She let out another sigh and said; "Go round up the troops".

Sirius grinned. "I'll get the kids, you get James. He's in his room, sleeping still" he said and hurried off outside. Lily shook her head and made her way up the stairs pushing her fringe out of her eyes.

When she reached James' room and knocked she heard his groggy voice tell her to come in and she couldn't help but smile. The darkness of the room caught her eye, but the door was open letting light in so she got a glimpse of his room for the very first time.

All the windows were shut and curtains were draped over them, which explained the previous darkness. It was different to Lily's room, her curtains were always held open and during the day sun streamed through the open windows.

He had many things in his room. A T.V, bookshelf, a desk, a bed and a stereo player which was playing low, heavy metal. The volume was obviously down so that he could sleep. There weren't any or stereo players in her room.

James sat up in his bed and watched her curiously before clearing his throat and her attention was turned back to him.

"Um, hi. I'm sorry for waking you up but there's no food so we meaning Sirius wanted to know if you want to walk down to the shops with us" she said a bit nervously. She felt awkward standing there whilst he gazed at her with a puzzled expression.

He suddenly pushed back his quilt and stood up, stretching his arms and Lily's eyes widened.

The only piece of clothing he wore were a silk pair of boxers. His chest was bare and even Lily had to admit, he was very nicely toned. The six pack he had stood out greatly and she watched as he flexed his arm muscles and then relaxed them and sighed.

"Sure. What's the time?"

Lily checked the watch on her wrist, anything to distract herself from James and his amazing torso. _Did she just think that?_

"Uh, just after twelve" she said and he nodded.

"Sweet. I'll just get changed and I'll be right down" he said turning away.

"Yeah, okay. I'll just um..." she turned to leave but James stopped her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, now watching her closely.

She nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine! There's nothing wrong. I'll... See you down there... You have a nice body by the way" she said and then her eyes widened and James cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Shoot! I meant bookcase. I like books and I noticed your bookcase that's all. That's what I meant to say I wasn't um..."

James was laughing and shook his head.

"Apparently the bookshelf wasn't all that you noticed, huh?"

Lily's face went a deep shade of red and she looked at the floor.

"Um..."

James ruffled his hair and smiled at her.

"Lily, for what it's worth... You have great legs".

If Lily's face was red before, it was crimson now.

"I-Thanks. I'm going to go down there..." she said quickly leaving the room. She heard James' laughter follow her out and she closed the door. She got as far as a few steps before she stopped and leaned against the wall.

She'd never felt that way around James before, she felt as if her chest was about to explode. Her heart was thumping inside her and it was beating very fast, too fast for her liking.

"You are such an idiot" she mumbled before taking a deep breath and straightening up. She walked down to the kitchen, the whole time telling herself to stop being silly. Sirius was leaning against the bench talking to Aaron and when she entered he looked up.

"How'd it go? Is he coming?"

Lily nodded. "He's... He's just getting dressed".

Sirius' eyebrows suddenly raised and she realized how that must have sounded.

"No, I mean he had some clothes on but..." she trailed off, she was just making it worse.

"I'm just going to make sure Jessie's ready to leave" she said and left the kitchen and hurried back up the stairs.

Sirius smirked and looked down at Aaron who was frowning.

"Did she see James naked?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, kiddo".

"I'm not a kid" Aaron replied grumpily.

"How old are you again?" Sirius asked questioningly.

"Ten, why?"

"Yeah, you're still a kid" Sirius responded and Aaron glared at him.

Shopping with Sirius Black turned out to be a disaster. Add the two hyperactive kids and it was a nightmare!

As soon as they entered the grocery store Sirius ran over to the trolleys and wheeled one out with quite a bit of speed and stopped long enough to let Aaron and Jessie climb in and he was off pushing it down the aisles... At a run.

"Does your mum always take you guys shopping?" Lily asked James as they strolled along the dairy product aisle. He was in a red tight fitting t-shirt and black jeans.

"Not really, she usually does it when we're busy or when dad's home" he said loving the way she wouldn't even look at him. It was clear she was feeling awkward after what happened in his bedroom.

"If you don't mind me asking-"

"He's away on a business trip so he won't be back for a few weeks yet".

Lily nodded. "I think I missed the memo telling me to leave Sirius at home" she said and James grinned at her.

"I'm sure they won't break anything" he said reassuringly.

"I'm actually more afraid of them hurting people to be honest" she replied and he stopped in his tracks and grabbed her arm and she turned to look at him.

"What?"

"Yeah... You know it might not hurt to look for them for a bit, just in case" and she nodded and together they began their search for the troublesome three, neither of them mentioning what happened earlier that morning.

James looked at Lily as they walked long the aisles, watching out for Sirius and his brother and sister. Her hair was in a single plait, he'd never seen hair so red. It definitely stood out in crowds. Her green t-shirt that said "I'm Ranga what's your excuse??" made him laugh on the inside. Her grey skinny leg jeans fitted her nicely and her black converses completed her look. She had an assortment of bracelets on her arms, all a different colour.

When she looked at him, he caught sight of her eyes. Her almond shaped eyes. They were clearly emerald green and her t-shirt really made them stand out.

"What?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I like your shirt, it's funny" he said and she smiled.

"Alice got it for me, she thought it was hilarious".

James shook his head. He was about to say something when they turned the corner and finally found them. Sirius was eating something hungrily out of a packet and Jessie was throwing things at Aaron who was poking his tongue out at her and dancing out of reach.

There was a carton of milk lying on the ground with all of its substance leaking out of it and there were several toys lying around dangerously.

"Sirius, what the hell? This place is a mess!" Lily said and he looked up at them, something dangling from his mouth.

"Huh?" he asked and swallowed it and continued eating.

"Did you demolish the whole entire shop?" she asked and he grinned sheepishly.

"No, of course not... Why would you think such a thing?"

"YOU PESKY KIDS! I SWEAR WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'LL BE SORRY!" an old man's voice came from some other aisle.

Lily and James both looked at Sirius questioningly who cleared his throat.

"Okay so maybe we ran into a deodorant stand but it was only one time!"

"MY FLOWERS! THEY'VE BEEN RUINED! MY BEAUTIFUL GERANIUMS!"

Lily sighed and massaged her temple.

"I cannot believe this is happening! Sirius this is a shop, not an amusement park! And what on earth are you eating?"

Sirius shrugged and shoved the packet of what appeared to be dog food in front of her eyes and she coughed loudly.

"Sirius, that's um... That's dog food" she said and was surprised when he nodded.

"I know, it tastes good though!" he said and continued to munch on the food happily and Lily didn't have the heart to stop him.

"Alright, let's get out of here" James said and grabbed the trolley before Sirius could and sat Jessie in it and wheeled it around.

"OI! GET BACK HERE!"

An old man began hobbling towards them with several other employees and Lily and James glanced at each other.

"Run" he said and then grabbed Jessie back out of the trolley and carried her down the aisle with Aaron running along behind him.

Lily kicked Sirius in the shin and he howled angrily.

"Go, go!" she said and shoved him out and he dropped his dog food packet and let out another howl and grabbed another packet and ran out of the shop, Lily hot on his heels.

When she got outside she found the other three hiding behind the wall and James beckoned her over and grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her behind him.

"Hang on, where's Sirius?" Lily asked looking behind her and James turned to look at her.

"Wasn't he with you?"

"Yeah he was right in front of me, I don't understand. Where could he have go-"

"AND STAY OUT!"

Sirius cam bolting around the corner laughing hard and clutching his stomach.

"What the hell just happened?" Lily asked angrily and he shrugged.

"I dropped my food again and went back to get it and some dude found me and he was yelling his head off at me, he even took my stuff the arsehole!"

"Sirius!" Lily said covering Jessie's ears and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Whoops" he said shrugging and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Great, now we're probably banned from that shop... Without food!"

Sirius groaned loudly.

"But I'm hungry!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you started acting all crazy!" she snapped and he frowned at her.

"Crazy? Well excuse me but it's called having fun, not that you would know what that is" Sirius replied hotly.

"Sirius-" James said but was cut off by Lily.

"I know what fun is, but at least I can be mature about it. Why don't you try acting your age every once in awhile?"

"There's a difference between growing up and growing old Evans".

"Really? Clearly you don't know what the difference is!"

Sirius and Lily stood there glaring at each other and James and the kids stood there watching them as if it were a tennis match.

"Oh that's right, I'm sorry. Only you would know that considering you're The Brain" Sirius retorted.

As soon as the words escaped his lips Sirius wanted to take them back, he hadn't meant to call her that.

He opened his mouth to apologize but Lily turned and stormed off, leaving the other four standing there looking speechless.

"What did I tell you about calling her that, Padfoot?" James asked angrily and began to follow her causing Sirius to stare irritably at his back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I can't believe this! He's supposed to be _my _best friend! You're a jerk James!"

James turned around and glared at him.

"No, you're a jerk! You keep forgetting that she's a person with feelings and you keep calling her that he said heatedly.

Sirius' mouth dropped open and James looked away from him, knowing exactly what he's say.

"You're the one who made the name up! We've called her that since first year and you've never cared! You used to be different, but ever since she started baby-sitting for the kids you've turned nice and caring and you've stopped calling her that! What happened to my best friend huh? What happened to Prongs?"

"He stopped being a dick and realized that the world doesn't revolve around him" James snapped in return and Sirius shook his head.

"Do you like her or something?"

James shrugged.

"She's a nice person, but I don't have feelings for her. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life being the jack arse that treats her like she's nothing! Yeah it used to be fun, but I got to know her a bit and I realized that I was wrong for treating her badly before. I hate the prick that I used to be! I was mean and cruel and I'm doing something about it".

And with that James stormed off in pursuit of the redhead.

Sirius glared at the back of his head until he turned to Jessie and Aaron who were looking upset.

"Come on, it's okay. We'll go to the take-away shop" he told them and took Jessie by the hand and the crossed the road together, Aaron by his side.

Lily stopped next to a tree and leaned against it and crossed her arms. She sighed and just as she was about to sit down she heard footsteps behind her.

"Lily".

She knew his voice but she didn't respond.

"Lily please don't be mad, he didn't mean it" James pleaded.

Lily shook her head and turned around to face him, looking up into his hazel eyes. He noticed that hers were red and puffy and knew she'd been crying.

"I shouldn't have said those mean things to him... I'm just... I'm having a tough time and I took most of it out on him and he didn't deserve it".

She slumped down onto the grass and leaned her back against the tree.

"Hey, what's going on? You can tell me if you want to" he said softly and sat down beside her and she closed her eyes and shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a letter and handed it to him.

"Read that" she said and wiped her tears off her cheeks.

He looked at her carefully before unfolding the note and his eyes travelled down the piece of paper.

_Dear Girls,_

_I haven't got a letter back yet, it must be the damn postman, he was always misplacing our mail. You should get your father to call the post office and tell them there is an important letter addressed to you and you haven't got it yet. It'll probably be along soon though._

_I'm missing you girls terribly; I wish you could have come with me. I'm seeing lots, France is a magnificent place. I think the two of you would enjoy it. I know Lily likes sight-seeing and Petunia would love to go shopping in the rather expensive clothing stores. Perhaps the two of you could fly over and visit, I know Lily's on holidays._

_How's your father? I hope he's well. Please tell him I say "hello"._

_Andrew and I are going to build on a couple of rooms so that you girls have somewhere to sleep when you come and stay. I'll call you soon and organize it. I'm not taking no for an answer, I know the two of you will want to join us. You will both have a lovely time. _

_I have some exciting news for you, although I'll not say anything until I call you, so make sure you're home around eight to nine o'clock in the evenings._

_Please write; I know I left but that doesn't change how much I love you both._

_All my love,_

_Mum_

_XXX _

James looked up from the letter and folded it back up and Lily sighed.

"I got home from the train station and everything changed. One day she was there, the next she was in a different country. It was like she didn't have time for a goodbye, as if she was running away from something. She felt like we were 'holding her back' because she had many things she needed to do and apparently she couldn't be with my dad to do them.

"I had to catch another train home because no one came to get me. My dad barely leaves his room, my sister's hardly ever home and I'm working to keep us going. All at once I had to step up and take on things I didn't expect to have to do until I finished school and got my own home..."

James passed her the letter and wrapped and arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"It sucks that she left you like that, I'm sorry".

"It's okay" she whispered. "Don't be".

A tear leaked from her eye and James handed her a hanky and she looked at it.

"I don't think it's been used. Well at east I hope it hasn't anyway".

That brought a smile to her face as she took it and wiped her eyes.

"I was pretty mean to Sirius wasn't I?"

James smiled at her.

"I think you both said things you didn't mean".

Lily nodded.

"I'm going to apologize to him".

James nodded this time.

"Yeah, I think I'd better do that too".

She frowned at him. "Why?"

He stood up and held out his hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's just say that even best friends have their moments".

Lily smiled at him.

"Thanks".

"Are you going to answer her call?"

She didn't answer at first and they made their way slowly down the road.

"No. I have to make sure I'm the one that answers; otherwise it'll be a big shock for Petunia when she's asked why she didn't reply. Dad might end up even worse off than he is".

James nodded. "That's fair enough. Don't they know about the letters?"

She shook her head sadly.

"I couldn't bring myself to show them to them. She sent her first one the day I started working for your mum, I didn't show anyone because I was afraid that if I did then they'd be upset and I don't want that to happen. They're already hurting enough as it is, I can't let her hurt us again".

James just stared at her.

"That's a pretty big burden on you".

Lily shrugged.

"I just want to be brave for them".

James suddenly stopped and grabbed her arm and she looked up at him.

"It's nice of you to do that for them, they're your family after all. But who's being brave for you?"

Lily stared back at him and he held her gaze waiting for her reply.

"I-"

"LILY!"

She turned around and James dropped the hold on her arm.

"Sirius what're you-"

She didn't get to finish because he pulled her into a big bear hug.

"I'm sorry I said those mean things to you, I shouldn't have. They were awful. Forgive me?"

Lily smiled and hugged him back.

"Only if you can forgive me".

"That's a done deal" he said pulling away.

He turned to James and opened his mouth but James beat him to it.

"Come here you big buffoon" he said and Sirius gave him a big brotherly hug.

Lily stood in the kitchen leaning against the counter beside James and they were each drinking chocolate milkshakes. Sirius was upstairs looking for his secret stash of chocolate and the kids were in bed. James had somehow managed to receive another 'milkstache' and Lily was laughing at him.

"Here" she said after he failed to lick it off and wiped it off his chin. Her hand rested there for a moment and he stared into her emerald eyes and she stared back at his for a minute before she stepped back and continued drinking her drink. James cleared his throat and did the same and the two stood there silently avoiding looking at each other.

"Thank you" Lily said finally breaking the silence and James looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked coolly and Lily shrugged.

"For letting me talk about my mum and stuff. I don't normally like talking about it, but now I've let most of it out of my system I'm feeling a lot better than I have been for the past few days so thanks, I owe you".

James shook his head.

"I'd like to think that we're friends, Lily, and I'm here for you if you ever want to talk or anything".

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you too milkstacio man".

"Oh Merlin this stuff is incredibly messy" he said going a bit red and he managed to wipe it off on his sleeve.

"I think you're the messy one".

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Lily shrugged. "Because I haven't got one bit of milkshake on me".

James nodded. "Fair enough. But I'm afraid to say that that's not going to last very long" he said with a mischievous smile.

"What?" Lily asked frowning and James tipped his milkshake on her t-shirt and she gasped loudly.

"Oh my God, you're sooo dead!" she said chasing him out of the kitchen.

"You can't catch me Evans!" he called back over his shoulder and he ran into the lounge room and back into the kitchen again and hid behind the wall.

Lily came skidding in and looked around wildly.

"I swear he came in here" she said to herself and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind and she shrieked so James clamped his hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake the kids.

He then grabbed her cup of milkshake and tried to tip it on her but she somehow twisted out of his grasp and it ended up all over the both of them.

They cracked up laughing and James looked down at her grinning and she shook her head.

"I'm going to have to have a shower now thanks to you".

"Yeah, same here".

Lily's eyes narrowed at him.

"You started it".

James just stared at her and suddenly leaned down towards her and his lips were inches away from hers when they heard a loud throat clearing cough come across the room.

James and Lily both looked over towards the door and Mrs. Potter stood there looking at them curiously with her arms folded and they looked back at each other and realized how closed they had become and took a few steps back from each other.

"Hi Mum" James said cheerily and Mrs. Potter just raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?"

"He started it" Lily said automatically and Katherine frowned.

"Started what?"

James cleared his throat.

"I kind of um... Well we had a um... a milkshake fight and yeah, things got a bit messy but I'll clean it up".

Mrs. Potter nodded, "I know you will".

"I should help you with that since I kind of helped make it-"

"I think James will be fine on his own Lily. It's a bit late, you should be heading back".

Lily nodded and looked at the floor.

"Right, I'm sorry about the mess. Goodnight Mrs. Potter, James".

She slipped out of the kitchen and they heard the door close and James' mother turned and stared at him.

"James-"

"Save it, I have cleaning to do" he said and left the kitchen and she heard him open the door under the stairs.

She sighed and sat down at the kitchen table and rested her chin in her palm.

**A/N: I hope that chapter filled the gaping holes in your chests :) Eleven pages! And I had to rewrite it from my computer to my little lap top because my old computer wouldn't recognize my memory stick and I couldn't think of any other way to get it on there lol but it turned out better when I rewrote it anyway so I'm not complaining ;)**

**Honestly I would have had all the chapters up on Friday, 5 to 8 but I was about to upload them when I realized I'd only left you with three chapters and the fourth one wasn't on my stick, so I've got to wait until Monday when the library's open (today's Saturday and it's shut on weekends). I couldn't skip a chapter, that would be too confusing for you all and you guys don't deserve that after the long break.**

**Anyways I hope you all enjoy reading chapters 4 to 9(I wrote another one!) like I enjoyed writing them :)**

**Love always,**

**LilyHeartsJames**

_**Infinite x's and o's **_**;) **


	5. Chapter 5

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But for just how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To my little sister Tori… If you can't understand how a woman can both love her sister dearly and want to ring her neck at the same time then you're probably an only child._

**NOTES: **Okay so I started this chapter right after the last one. I swear I'm going to take them to the library and put them on, but I only have one USB and my teacher needed it for my english assignment and hasn't given it back to me so I've got to wait until school re-starts to get it back unfortunately. So you guys will just have to be patient and stick with me! If my sister loves me enough I'll persuade her to let me use her boyfriend's ;)

Lily awoke bright and early on Wednesday morning and her first thoughts were of the night before. Mrs. Potter had walked in on James when he was about to kiss her, and she seemed very unhappy with that.

It wasn't that Lily had any romantic feelings for James, she liked him. He was a good friend. But she had a duty and a responsibility to take care of his brother and sister and so she decided to dedicate a full day to the kids, and James and Sirius could do whatever they wanted, just as long as she was nowhere near James.

Truthfully she was feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing. She couldn't help but wonder if James had feelings for her, or if he was just caught up in the moment and it drove her crazy. If he did have feelings for her than she would have to distance herself a bit from him so she wouldn't lose focus on why she was doing the job in the first place. If not, well then she would just avoid him anyway to make sure it didn't happen again. She couldn't go losing herself now. She had a job and she liked it, she enjoyed working for the Potters. Every day in their household was a brand new exciting adventure.

She laid in bed for a few more minutes before she finally sat up and checked her alarm clock.

"Bollocks" she said and leapt out of bed and ran over to her closet and pulled out her clothes. It was going to be warm that day so she grabbed a dark green singlet and a pair of denim mini shorts and then quickly changed.

As she hurried out of her room she stubbed her toe on the bed and she let out a mix of swear words that made her dad shout at her. She ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth at top speed. Thankfully she had showered last night when she got home and got rid of all the chocolate milkshake stains.

She then applied her eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss and hurried down the stairs.

"Hi dad, bye dad" she said as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door. She had just got into her car when she realized that she'd forgotten her wallet so out she got and went back inside. She came back out a few minutes later and started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

She cruised down a few blocks until she spotted the familiar mansion and then turned into the Potter's and parked in the driveway. She turned off the ignition and got out and walked up the pathway to their front door and rang the doorbell and Mrs. Potter answered it after a few minutes.

"Lily! You're early" she said sounding surprised.

"I know, I hope that's not a bother, I kind of wanted to talk to you before you left and the last few days you left before I got here so I was afraid I'd miss you."

She smiled and stepped back.

"Come on in" she said and Lily closed the door behind her and followed the older woman into the kitchen.

"Listen, Mrs. Potter-"

"Please, it's Katherine" Mrs. Potter interrupted.

"Right, Katherine. I just wanted to apologize about last night, I feel really bad about everything and I just wanted to let you know that. Hopefully you're not mad at me I just-"

Mrs. Potter laughed and Lily frowned.

"I'm not mad at you. I just had a bit of a rough day yesterday and I took it out on the two of you. But Lily there's something that I want to ask you about."

Lily smiled and shrugged. "What's that?"

Mrs. Potter didn't answer straight away. She sipped her coffee and then after about a minute she said; "Is there anything going on between you and James?"

Lily looked a bit taken aback at this question; she hadn't really been expecting it.

"Mrs. Potter I can assure you that there's nothing going on, I promise."

"Well that's not what it looked like last night. When I walked in it looked as if James was about to kiss you."

"It won't happen again. We were just mucking around and got caught up in the moment but I promise there won't be any more of that. James and I are just friends and I value this job, and I also value my responsibilities and your opinion of me and I don't want to do anything to screw that up" Lily said quietly and the other woman nodded.

"I understand. And thank you for coming to see me about it. But you have to remember Lily that you're here to baby-sit, not mess around with my son."

Lily nodded. "Of course."

Mrs. Potter smiled and stood up and rinsed her cup.

She turned back to face Lily and sighed. "Well, I'd better get going, duty calls" and with that she smoothed her skirt and turned left and vanished with a loud pop.

**-*-*-*-**

When James walked into the kitchen later that morning in a pair of trackies which he had worn to bed and a t-shirt he'd thrown on before he went downstairs he found Lily sitting at the table drawing. He quietly stood behind her and looked over her shoulder and saw that she was copying the photo of himself, Sirius, Jessie and Aaron which was usually sitting on the fridge.

She had already drawn James and Sirius, and was beginning to draw Aaron. He watched her carefully put in the facial features and noticed how often she referred back to the picture. He smiled and walked around in front of her but she didn't notice as she continued to concentrate on drawing.

"You know I think Aaron's eyes are a bit closer in the photo" he said, causing her to jump and a black pencil line was marked across the page.

"Shoot" Lily muttered and grabbed a rubber and got rid of it.

"Sorry about that, I thought you knew I was there" he said with a grin and sat down across from her.

Lily sighed and looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"How could I possibly know? You practically snuck up on me" she said as she continued to draw.

"I am a Marauder after all" he told her with a flourishing smile.

"What are you doing up this early anyway?" she asked curiously as he got himself a glass of orange juice and then sat back down at the table.

"I heard you come in and I kind of wanted to talk to you. Are you thirsty?" he asked and she shook her head and he sighed.

"Look uh, it's about last night. When you almost kissed me. I-"

"I didn't almost kiss you. You were going to kiss me" she said frowning at him and he grinned and shook his head.

"I know, I was just stirring. But the thing is, I like you; you're a good friend and an excellent baby-sitter but-"

"Just friends" she told him and he nodded.

"It's okay, I was kind of hoping you'd say that" she said and he nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, you're beautiful, but it'd just be messy if we you know… got together".

Lily's face went bright red as she looked up at him and smiled.

"Um… thanks, I guess. Besides, why ruin our friendship right?"

"Right… So just friends okay with you?" he asked and held his hand out for her to shake it.

"Sounds good to me" she replied and shook his outstretched hand tentatively.

"What's the matter?" he asked giving her an odd look.

"It's just that the last time I shook your hand you got me with those lame shocker things so I was just a little bit anxious" she said and they both laughed as they went back to what they were doing; Lily drawing and James drinking.

"So what have you got planned for today?" James asked and Lily shrugged but didn't look up at him.

"I'm not sure really. I was thinking about taking the kids for a drive down to the mall or something" she said and James smiled.

"Aaron won't be around much today, he's going to a birthday party this afternoon for one of his friends" he said standing up and downing the rest of his drink and sitting it in the sink. "Anyways, I'd better go get dressed" he said and left the kitchen. Lily heard him hurrying up the stairs and smiled. At least she didn't have to avoid him.

**-*-*-*-**

Sirius sat on the throne like chair in Jessie's room later that morning and Aaron and his sister sat in front of it, watching Sirius intently.

"OK can the O-G-J-A-L-T Committee please come to order?"

Jessie and Aaron looked confused and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Operation Get James and Lily Together Committee" he explained and Jessie sat there and scratched her head.

"What is it?" Aaron asked curiously and Sirius sighed.

"Why I'm using a pair of children to help me is far beyond my wits" he said and tapped his beaters club on the floor impatiently.

"Alright we're simply going to try and get James and Lily to admit they like each other and then try to get them to be boyfriend and girlfriend" he said slowly so they understood.

"I don't want them together" Aaron piped up and Sirius frowned at him.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons" he replied and crossed his arms.

Sirius sighed. "Look Aaron, Lily's not going anywhere. She's a good person; you just need to get to know her a bit better that's all."

"Why? So she can leave and I'll have to get to know yet another baby-sitter?"

Sirius stared at Aaron and was about to say something when Jessie said; "Can we be the O-G-J-A-L-2-A-T-L-E-O-A-B-B-A-G Committee?"

Sirius frowned at her. "What does it stand for?"

"Operation Get James and Lily Two Admit They Like Each Other and be Boyfriend and Girlfriend Committee. But the to has to be spelt like the number two."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Merlin's beard that's a great idea!"

"No it's not; it's far too long for code names and is easily detectable. Lily and James will know we're up to something immediately" a boy with shaggy light brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes said from the door and Sirius grinned. **(A/N: YAY! REMUS!!)**

"MOONY! You're here!" he said and leapt from the 'throne' and pulled the taller boy into a massive bear hug.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Sirius said excitedly.

"Sirius let go, I can hardly breathe!" Remus Lupin replied. "Besides, you saw me a couple of days ago."

Sirius shrugged. "Such a long time ago."

Remus shook his head and Jessie got up and walked over to him and blushed.

"H-hi Remus" she giggled and he smiled at her.

"Hello Jessie, how are you?" he asked politely and she giggled some more.

"Fine thank you" she replied.

"You've got lovely manners" he told her which made her go a darker shade of red.

"Mummy's teaching me to say please and thank you" she said quite proudly.

"Well tell her I think she's doing an excellent job" Remus said straightening up and Jessie smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Easy Moony, she's practically my sister" Sirius warned him and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I'm just being nice to her Padfoot, there's no crime in that. Hello Aaron" he added and Aaron waved to him.

"Hi Remus. Alright so what're we going to call this stupid thing?" Aaron asked grumpily.

"Operation Doo-Doo" Sirius said triumphantly waving his arm around like a magician would after performing a magic trick.

"What about Operation Fluffy? Then we can pretend that we're fixing up my doggy" Jessie suggested pointing to the brown teddy with white spots.

Remus smiled. "An excellent idea Jessie. All in favour of Operation Fluffy?"

Jessie blushed a crimson colour as she raised her hand and Aaron looked at her disgustedly before he too raised his hand.

"That's a majority, Operation Fluffy it is" Remus declared.

Sirius crossed his arms.

"I still say Operation Doo-Doo was better."

"Operation Fluffy had more of a point to it. We can easily pretend to fix her teddy-bear which is in the form of a dog" Remus told him with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Trust Jessie to come up with it."

"It's not my fault that when I was a baby I fell into a box of glitter and I've been shining ever since" she said and left the room with Cindy-Jane, leaving behind a confused Sirius, a disgusted Aaron and an extremely intelligent Remus.

**-*-*-*-**

"I wonder what the kids are up to, they're awfully quiet" Lily wondered aloud and James, who was eating a sandwich shrugged.

"They're probably doing quiet stuff, like reading or napping or-"

"GIVE ME BACK CINDY-JANE!!!" they heard and Lily raised her eyebrows at him.

"Or maybe we just couldn't hear Aaron terrorizing her before" he suggested.

"Remus tell him to give her back!" Jessie wailed.

"Now, now Aaron if you want a Cindy-Jane doll then all you have to do is ask" Remus said and Aaron pretended to vomit and chucked her at Jessie's feet and ran back up the stairs.

"I'm going to punch you for that! You're not supposed to throw babies!"

Lily and James looked up as Sirius, Jessie and Remus walked into the kitchen, with Jessie carrying her beloved doll.

"Remus!" James exclaimed and embraced his friend happily.

"How come you're never that excited to see me whenever I come home?" Sirius asked jealously.

"Because you're around too much" James replied and Sirius stood beside Lily grumpily and Lily patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Oh by the way Remus, this is my girlfriend Lily" Sirius said and put his arm around her waist.

"Hello Lily. How are you?" he asked nicely and she smiled.

"I'm fine thank you. And I'm not really his girlfriend" she said pushing Sirius' arm away and missed the look James was giving Sirius, although Sirius didn't.

"I know, I've heard a lot about you" he told her and Lily frowned.

"Really?"

"Yeah James-"

James nudged Remus and he cleared his throat.

"I mean Jessie has been telling me a lot about you" he said and Jessie frowned.

"I have?"

"That's a beautiful dress you're wearing Jessie, where did you get it?" Remus asked and she blushed yet again.

"My Mummy got it for me last week" she said making the bottom of it swish around.

"It looks lovely on you" Remus told her and if her face was red before, then it sure was darker now.

Lily raised an eyebrow at Remus who shrugged and Jessie said; "Lily can I please have a Remus samidge?"

Everyone stared at her and she realized her mistake.

"I mean a PB and J samidge" she said quietly and went and hid behind James embarrassedly.

James and Sirius laughed hysterically at her and a tear slipped down the poor girl's cheek.

"Aw Jessie come here" Lily said to the little girl and she ran to Lily and she picked her up and slapped James' arm.

"Don't make fun of her, she just got confused. She was talking to Remus and she got her words mixed up" Lily covered for her and James rubbed his arm although a smile was still evident on his face.

Lily sat Jessie on the stool near the bench and fixed her a sandwich and she ate it hungrily, getting it all over her face as usual.

After that Lily helped her wash her hands and face and then tucked her into bed for a nap.

She then headed down the stairs and back into the kitchen where the boys were standing around the bench and Lily joined them.

"She asleep?" James asked, leaning on the bench and she nodded.

"Yeah she was pretty tired" she said leaning on the bench across from him.

Sirius sighed and sat on a stool whereas Remus just stood and clasped his hands together.

"So Prongsie… any dates for the week?" Sirius asked curiously and James frowned at him.

"None that I know of… why?" he asked suspiciously and Sirius shrugged.

"Just making conversation" he said off-handily and Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"What about you Lily? Any dates?"

Lily smiled and shook her head.

"None that I'm aware of" she answered and he grinned.

"I know a nice friendly chap I could set you up with. He's handsome, strong, good in bed or so I've heard anyways… all the girls I've set him up with are raving about him, they say he's _the_ most sexiest guy they've ever been with, next to me of course" Sirius informed her and flicked his hair over his shoulder and winked.

Lily cleared her throat. "That's um, nice to know, Sirius. I appreciate the thought" she said and walked over to the fridge.

"Would anyone like a drink?" she asked and they all nodded and she pulled out glasses from the cupboard.

"Just water for me thanks, Lily" Remus said and she nodded at him.

"Sure thing" she said and handed him a glass of water and he thanked her and sipped it gratefully.

"What can I get you boys?" she asked turning her attention to Sirius and James who were waiting patiently… the exception of Sirius.

"Got milk?" he asked her with a playful smirk that Lily didn't catch.

"Um I think so, yeah sure. James?"

She looked up when she heard the two boys laughing and saw Remus giving them disturbed looks.

"Just soft drink will be fine" Sirius managed to gasp and James sniggered.

"What's so funny?" she asked and they shook their heads.

"Nothing, I'll have soft drink too thanks" James said and coughed loudly.

"So what are you doing this weekend Lillers?" Sirius asked causing Remus to frown at him.

"_Lillers?_"

"Be quiet, Moony. It's rude to butt in you know" Remus gave Sirius an incredulous look and took a rather large gulp of his drink. There was no point arguing with him, he'd always 'win'. Or so he thought.

"Um, not much really. Just sitting around home, I might make a cake" she said more to herself than him and placed the drinks on the table and leaned against the bench.

"You can make cakes?" James asked and Lily smiled at him.

"Yeah, chocolate mud cake is my specialty. I make it for my dad all the time, it's his favourite".

James grinned at her and said; "I love chocolate mud cake, it's the best".

Lily sipped her drink and James just stared at her.

"I bet Jessie would love to help you make one, she loves making them".

Lily raised her eyebrows at him and held her cup in both hands.

"Is that a hint?" she asked and James merely shrugged.

"Only if you're up to it. But I doubt you could match her special mud pies" he challenged and Lily smiled at him.

"You're on… Jessie!" Lily called up the stairs and they waited as the small girl came running down into the kitchen dressed in a ballerina costume.

"Is something wrong, Lily?" she asked worriedly as she hurried in.

She caught sight of Remus and her cheeks were tinged with pink as she gave him a shy wave.

"H-hi Remus" she said nervously and he smiled at her.

"Hello Jessie. Enjoy your nap?" he replied and drank more of his drink.

"Yes, it was the best nap ever!" she said walking over and sitting on the chair next to him.

"Hey Jessie, would you like to make a cake?" Lily asked and Jessie's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Wait, is it chocolate?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

Lily grinned and nodded.

"You betcha, the best chocolate cake ever" she reassured her and Jessie's face broke out into a happy smile.

"Would I ever! James loves chocolate cake, it's his favourite" she said hopping off the chair and hurrying over to the cupboard and began pulling out muffin trays.

"Whoa hold your horses, we're making a cake. That's a muffin tray" she said and Jessie nodded.

"Yep! We can make lots of little cakes".

Lily frowned.

"I'll tell you what. How about we make chocolate cake today and muffins tomorrow?"

Jessie nodded and jumped up again.

"I have to go put on my cooking outfit, my mummy bought me one for Christmas" she said and ran back up the stairs.

"So, cooking classes have begun. Please don't burn the house down or mum'll kill us" James said as Lily pulled out a cake tray and a bowl. She smiled at him and pulled a wooden spoon out of the drawer and sat it on the bench next to the bowl.

"Don't worry I won't" she assured him and bent over to pull out another bowl and quick as a flash Sirius snatched up the spoon and smacked her on the backside and Lily straightened up quickly and Sirius threw the spoon at James who caught it.

Lily spun around and saw James holding the spoon who looked down at it and then back up at her. Her hands were on her hips and her eyebrows were raised.

"What was that for?" she asked and James' eyes widened.

"No, Lily I swear it wasn't me. It was Sirius!" he said throwing the spoon back at his friend who was laughing at him loudly and the spoon hit him in the face.

"OW! That hurt you tosser!" he said rubbing his cheek and Lily shook her head at him.

"It was Sirius" Remus confirmed and Lily shook her head.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she asked, her frown turning into a smile as she got all the things needed to make a cake: flour, eggs etc.

"So how long until the cake's ready?" James asked and Lily gave him a weird look.

"We haven't even started making it yet" she told him and James shrugged.

"I know, just trying to get an estimate that's all" he said and Jessie came running back into the kitchen dressed in a purple apron and a matching chef's hat. She had changed her clothes and was wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue jeans. She had even managed to put on a pair of socks, even though they were odd.

"I'm ready! Let's make a cake!" she said and Lily smiled at her and the sound of a car horn was heard from out the front.

"Aaron your ride's here!" Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs and Aaron came rushing down the staircase.

"See you later losers" he said and they heard the door slam and Sirius sighed.

"He's going to break hearts one day" he said and Remus frowned at him.

"I wouldn't go encouraging that Sirius, it's not good when people's feelings are taken carelessly" Remus said and James and Sirius groaned as Remus continued to talk about other people's feelings while Lily and Jessie made the cake batter.

**A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter, I wanted a bit more humour in this story! And don't worry, there's plenty more of giggling Jessie and her Remus encounters! She's so cute!**

**Anyways,**

**Hooble Toodle Dooo!!**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**P.S I watched The Hoobs not long ago at a friend's place… lol we're off to see the tiddley peeps, on the road we go!! :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To my dog, Rocket. Well actually he's my life partner, lol. I can never imagine my life without him. He's my main 'man' lol :P_

**NOTES: **_Okay so I decided that I wanted to do another James and the Baby-Sitter chapter before an AVON one. Lately this story has taken over my mind, which is a pleasant change. I haven't been in the mood for story writing for awhile._

Lily pulled the chocolate cake out of the oven and the fresh smell wafted through the kitchen, making the boys' noses start sniffing at the air hungrily. She smiled as she sat it on the bench and waited for it to cool as she pulled the chocolate icing from out of the fridge and sat it beside the cake. Jessie grinned as she hopped off her stool and hurried over excitedly, claiming the job of licking the spoon.

"You got to last time" James complained and Jessie shrugged.

"I'm a girl so what I say goes" she replied and everyone looked taken aback.

"Wow, who's been teaching her the whole 'feminism' thing? Was it you Remus?" Sirius asked suspiciously and Remus shrugged.

"She was curious as to why Lily did the cooking and you boys did the eating" he explained and James frowned at him.

"And what did you tell her?"

"The truth, that women were dominated by men for many years up until they took a stand and decided to come out and prove that women can work and keep a house tidy, and that they have rights to abortions and-"

"Okay, okay we get it. Save the lecture for someone who cares" Sirius mumbled as he watched Lily's every moves as she spread the icing across the cake.

"Can we put sprinkles on it?" Jessie asked happily and Lily nodded.

"Sure if we've got some" she said and bent down and looked in the cupboard.

James suddenly looked up from his cup and noticed Lily bending over, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the way her bottom poked out in the air as she rummaged through the cupboard for more cake toppings. A goofy smile crossed his face as his eyes traced every curve and outline, and when she straightened up he dragged his eyes away and looked at Sirius, who had the biggest, most obvious evil smirk upon his face and James' eyes widened. He was going to cop it big time later.

"Don't you just hate perves, Lily?" Sirius asked with a sneaky look at James before looking back at her and she frowned.

"I'm not really... Um yeah I guess, they seem to think it's okay to look at whatever they want even though they can't have it, and plus it's kind of creepy" she replied and cut open the bag of sprinkles.

"Wouldn't you be pissed if someone was perving on you?" he pressed on, ignoring Remus' low hiss at the swearword whilst Jessie giggled.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course I would be, some weird guy staring at me and having inappropriate thoughts... I'd probably slap him if I caught him" she said putting her hand into the packet and dropping sprinkles here and there on the top of the cake.

Sirius smirked at James who shook his head at him and his face went white.

"What if one of us perved on you?"

Lily gave him an odd look.

"Please don't perve on me Sirius, your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it".

James and Remus laughed at the look on Sirius' face, but James' laughter died down when Sirius glared at him and basically told him to shut up with his eyes. James didn't want Lily to find out he'd been staring at her bottom, especially since they'd agreed to only be friends that very morning.

"Trust me; I'm not perving on you. That's just weird" he said and he caught sight of the hurt look on Lily's face and quickly rephrased his sentence in a way that it wouldn't hurt her feelings.

"Well you know, you're kind of like my sister... and it would be creepy if I perved on you" he told her and she shook her head, the smile coming back onto her face.

"If you say so... Who wants cake?" she asked and a chorus of "me's" rung throughout the kitchen and she chuckled. "Okay that was a trick question" she said as she sliced some huge chunks and passed them around and the three boys dug in hungrily. Jessie got a slightly smaller piece, however she was convinced she'd go back for more. Lily cut herself a bit of cake and sat beside Sirius and Remus, across from James and Jessie seated herself between Remus and her brother.

"This cake is sooo good" James mumbled in between mouthfuls and Lily smiled triumphantly.

"I told you I make a good cake" she said and he nodded, too busy eating to reply.

Sirius finished and began licking his plate, making Jessie crinkle her nose in disgust.

"So Prongsie-"

"Why do you call him that?" Lily interrupted and Sirius gulped.

"Um... I'm not sure really. It's just a random name you know?" he said, his smile faltering.

"Well it's just that you all have weird names for each other, you're Padfoot, James is Prongs, Remus is Moony and even your other friend Peter is Wormtail... where do you guys come up with this stuff??" she asked pulling off a bit of cake with her fingers and eating it.

Remus cleared his throat.

"Uh, well... It's um, a long story actually" he broke off, not knowing what to say next as the other two boys stared at him incredulously. Was he really going to tell her about how he'd been bitten by a werewolf as a young boy and that James, Peter and Sirius were all illegal Animagi?

"I really hope you don't think differently of me Lily... I'm normally more responsible but James and Sirius managed to convince Peter and I to sneak out of the castle one night and go into The Hog's Head to drink, we were in our fifth year and were rebellious of course, and-"

"You guys would always sneak out of the castle, I'd see you most nights tiptoeing out of the Common room" she broke in and James couldn't believe where this was going.

"Well it was just a night of rebellion, fun and misadventure and I'm not sure how but the names just came up and stuck ever since that first night we escaped from the castle" Remus finished and Lily shook her head.

"How'd you manage to do it without being caught?"

"That's a Marauder's secret m'dear, one which we cannot tell another soul who isn't a Marauder" Sirius cut in and Remus and James nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and we were caught sometimes... _Someone_ kept telling McGonagall" James said staring pointedly at Lily who merely shrugged and looked un-abashed.

"_Someone_ had to take their duties of being a Prefect seriously" she said glancing at Remus who blushed furiously.

"Prefect-Smeefect, you've always dobbed on us" Sirius said and Lily grinned.

"I know, but I'm not apologising for it. You guys deserved it most times".

James laughed. "Yeah, _most_ times... but you have to admit, you want to sneak out of the castle too" he said crossing his arms and Lily shook her head.

"I do not, I have duties to conduct myself in a role model way for the younger students to follow in a good example of how to stay in school and not come close to being expelled every week" Lily replied turning her nose upwards and Sirius sniggered.

"Then why'd you ask how we sneak out? Come on you've got to be at least a little bit curious Lily" James said and Lily sighed.

"Maybe I am a little bit curious... but that doesn't mean that I condone that sort of behaviour" she replied crossing her arms across her chest.

"You need to let your hair down and have some fun Lily, trust me one night with us and you'll be wondering who the good little perfect Prefect Lily Evans is" James told her with a wink and Lily just grinned.

"You guys are trouble, with a capital T" she said and Remus shrugged.

"We're not all that bad Lily, I am a Prefect after all and I don't let us get that out of hand" he said reassuringly.

"Speaking of Peter earlier, does he come to visit much?" Lily asked and James nodded.

"Yeah he comes over all the time, he's busy helping his mum run the shop today though, his step-dad's making last minute wedding plans" Sirius explained and Lily nodded.

"That's fair enough; he'd be excited about that right?"

The three boys shared a look between themselves, which Lily didn't miss.

"He doesn't like him does he?"

"Well let's just say he's not exactly thrilled by Jonathon, but he is a nice man. But I expect Peter's feeling threatened by him because it's been just him and his mum since he was eleven, his dad found out about Peter and his mother having magic and left them" Remus said sadly and Lily sighed.

"That would have really sucked, having his dad walk out on him... Did he say goodbye?" she asked curiously and Remus shook his head.

"He just left a note and was gone, Peter's mum was devastated and we couldn't really get Peter to talk about it for months" he said shrugging. "He came around eventually though and when he did it was a relief to get everything off of his chest. It was like he was carrying a weight around on his shoulders and he'd finally gotten rid of it".

Lily's eyes suddenly filled with tears as she said; "Um, I just remembered I've got to get something from the shops so I'll... be back soon" she said getting hurriedly to her feet and she marched over to the door and left, stunning the three boys and Jessie into silence.

"I'll be right back" James said getting to his feet and turning left on the spot and disappeared.

"Why do I get the feeling they're a lot closer than I thought they were?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"What's wrong with Lily?" Jessie asked and Remus shrugged.

"I don't know" he said answering both questions at once.

**-*-*-*-**

"Lily wait" James said hurrying over to the passenger side of her car and he hopped in.

"Put your seat belt on" she said automatically and he did as he was told, with difficulty so Lily leaned over and clicked it in for him and she pulled out of the driveway quickly and shot off down the road.

They passed many houses, many streets and came to a red light. Lily eased her car to a standstill and sighed, wiping her eyes.

"Did she call?" he asked knowing Lily would understand what he meant.

"No, she didn't. I shouldn't really expect her to" she replied putting her foot on the accelerator as the light changed to green and sped off, turning down a side street and coming to a stop out the front of a park where children were swinging on the swings. Lily took off her seat belt and James copied her and they both got out and made their way over to a tree. Lily sat down in front of it and James sat beside her, leaning against the tree.

"I'm sorry about walking out like that... I just..."

James shook his head. "It's okay, don't apologise. Not everyone can keep it together all the time" he told her quietly and she sighed and closed her eyes.

"I usually can though, but lately I've just been... getting upset so much more and my dad really doesn't need the pressure he has. Petunia always wants to get her hair done and manicures and everything else but she just doesn't understand that I'm working to pay the bills, not to stop her hair from looking so five days ago" Lily said softly and James put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That's rough; you've got too much responsibility on your shoulders... Doesn't she work?"

Lily sighed.

"She quit her job because she thinks that since I've got one then there's no point in her having one too" she picked a rock up off the ground and threw it as far as she could and James leaned forward and looked her in the eyes.

"Have you tried talking to her? Maybe telling her that she should get her job back so she can help out, that way you're not the only bread-winner?"

Lily shook her head, her red hair shining in the sunlight.

"No... You're the only one I've ever... I can't talk about this stuff with anyone else" she said staring at him with her emerald green eyes and James watched her carefully.

"I'm quite honoured that you can talk to me, Lily. I'm here for you, you know that right? If you need anything, anything at all then I'm your guy" he said with a smile and she returned it. His hazel eyes bored into hers and she nodded slowly.

"I know, thank you. I really appreciate this James. You're a good friend" she whispered and he grinned and was surprised when she pulled him into a hug and wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms found their way around her waist and pressed himself against her. She smelled sweet, fresh and had a slight honey-ish smell about her that made his insides melt. He closed his eyes, stroking her back gently and she pulled away and his eyes snapped open and she stared into them.

"You know I never would have imagined I'd be spending my summer talking to James Potter... I haven't talked to you in years and now... You're one of my really great friends, someone I can go to when I'm in trouble" she said smiling and a tear rolled slowly down her cheek and he wiped it away.

"Of course you can, you can come to me whenever you want" he said with a warm smile.

"The same goes for you, you know. Thank you James" she said and kissed his cheek, making his heart flutter strangely. He stared at her, trying to figure out what had made his heart react that way and decided it was the hormones and didn't think anything else about it.

"I need to get back, I'm supposed to be taking care of your sister" Lily mumbled and James nodded.

"Let's go, Sirius is probably freaking out" he chuckled and Lily joined him and the image of Sirius running around like a headless chicken had them laughing all the way back to the car.

"Poor Peter, he must've really had it hard... But shouldn't he be glad that his mum's found a guy who makes her happy?" Lily asked as they got in and put on their seatbelts.

"He is, he's just afraid that the same thing is going to happen and her heart will break all over again" James replied as Lily pulled away from the kerb.

"That's fair enough though. When's the wedding?"

"Two weeks from now, I'm supposed to take a date... I was thinking maybe... Well it'd be nice if I could bring along a friend you know? And I was wondering if, you weren't busy then maybe you'd like to come with me? Just friends though of course but yeah. It was just a thought, you don't have to I can get someone else if you have other stuff on your plate or-"

"James will you stop babbling? I'd love to" she said glancing at him and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great, thanks. At least I won't be alone; we can go along and laugh at all the silly dresses... I have to wear dress robes" James said making a face and Lily giggled at the thought of James in frilly dress robes.

"I promise not to laugh at you" she told him with a smile on her face and he shrugged.

"Okay and I promise not to laugh at you too".

Lily shrugged; "That's a deal. No laughing at each other. Who's Remus taking?"

James frowned. "Well Jessie's out of the question obviously so..." James trailed off as they laughed the rest of the way home, in the end just laughing for the sake of it. Lily smiled. Laughing with James felt so right, like she had just let a massive weight off of her shoulders.

**-*-*-*-**

"Lily Kate Evans!"

Lily cringed as she walked in through the doors and caught sight of Sirius standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest and a not-so-happy look upon his face.

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was? You just up and left and I had no clue where you went, if you were alright, if-"

"Relax Sirius, I'm fine. I just... needed some air that's all. You can calm down now".

"Calm down? _Calm down? _CALM DOWN?!"

"Sirius just chill, she's okay. Sit down and breathe" James said stepping forward and guiding his friend into the kitchen. Sirius' breathing came out in huge huffs as he slowly and carefully sat himself on a chair and breathed in and out deeply.

"Okay now close your eyes... You're in an entirely different place, a happy place. A place that makes you purely ecstatic. Now open your eyes, tell me where you are" James said bending over in front of him and looking into his eyes.

A very funny look spread across Sirius' face as his eyes re-closed and he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Oh yes... Oh wow that's just... That is _exactly_ the way I like it" he said licking his lips.

James leapt back from him with a disgusted look on his face.

"What the hell's the matter with you? Jessie's here! Oh Sirius you're disgusting, leave your fantasies in your bedroom" he said picking Jessie up in his arms and leaving the kitchen. Remus also gave Sirius an odd look and hurried out after him, mumbling something about using the bathroom.

Lily however remained with a smirk upon her face.

"Why'd they leave like that? I was only imagining Sera feeding me the chocolate mud cake you made on the beach! James told me to find a happy place" Sirius said pouting and Lily just chuckled.

"James and Remus kind of imagined you thinking... something else. Quite possibly to do with Sera" she said sitting down opposite him and he frowned at her.

"What? Oh! Oh!" a look of understanding came across his face as he burst into raucous laughter and Lily joined him.

"They thought I was imagining... Ha! I mean don't get me wrong that does make me happy, extremely happy but-"

"Okay Sirius if you really want to clear the room then keep talking but please do not finish that sentence" Lily interrupted and Sirius sighed.

"That's fair enough I guess... So where'd you go?"

The smile fell from Lily's face as she looked out of the window in a bid to try not to think about why she'd left.

"Come on Lily, you can tell me anything" he said in a different tone, a more softer, caring one. Lily had never considered telling Sirius about her problems with her mother, she'd never really seen Sirius as the type to talk about things. This change to his voice surprised her and she shocked herself by opening up and spilling her 'secret'.

"I just... I have some mum issues and talking about Peter's problem reminded me of them so I had to get some air and take my mind off of it" she whispered and he nodded.

"I'm sorry it made you think about that, if I'd have known-"

"Don't worry about it; it's not your fault. I just wasn't expecting it to come up that's all" she said shrugging it off lightly and Sirius shook his head.

"James knows doesn't he?"

Lily nodded slowly and looked back at him.

"That day we had that stupid fight, I was just taking out my anger on you and I'm sorry for that. James followed me and I sort of just... told him. Now he knows and he's been really good about it. He lets me talk about it to him" she smiled slightly and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah he's good like that. When I ran away from home, James was the one I came to. He let me camp out in the bottom of his field until I was ready to talk it through and deal with it, then Kathy and Justin found out and invited me here. I've stayed here ever since" the smile on Sirius' face was one that Lily envied, she wanted to smile like that when talking about somebody, she wanted to feel the love that Sirius felt when he spoke of the Potters.

"You really care about them don't you?"

Sirius nodded. "I'd die for every one of them. They gave me a family when I had none. Mine wanted me to become a Muggleborn killing, Voldemort ass-kissing Death Eater; they actually tried to give me over to him the night I left. But Mr. and Mrs. Potter give me love, and happiness and everything I could ever ask for in a family. Some people would think it over-bearing, and spoiling us but I think it's amazing the way they treat their children, and me. And other people too. The Potters' are very well respected and they are envied by many people. They're people who would never, ever go over to the dark side".

Lily watched him carefully and he sighed.

"One of the things I'm afraid of is disappointing them; I never gave a rat's ass about disappointing my mother and father, and the rest of them. I lived my life every summer going through tales of killing Muggles, Voldemort's plans for getting rid of Muggleborns, half bloods and basically anything that wasn't pure and the way they spoke about him was as if he were royalty, like he had the right way of life planned out in front of him. I didn't want any part of it and that infuriated them. But my brother, my stupid, eager brother wanted nothing more than to please them and they treated him like he was an only child, and I was just some insolent little burden placed upon them to make their lives harder whereas Regulus made everything easy- he wanted in with Voldemort, he believed in everything they told him, he was stupid enough to listen to the crap that made them the Black's, the traditions and everything that's expected of them... He was the son they'd dreamed of having whereas I was the son they wished they'd never had" Sirius' voice had turned bitter as he began talking about his parents and a dark look had crossed over his face, his eyes narrowing, teeth baring as he spoke of how they'd failed him, how they hadn't met his expectations of parents.

"I can't imagine how that must have felt, being forced to listen to things you don't believe in and having them be disappointed in you just because you wanted something different out of life" Lily whispered and Sirius nodded.

"It wasn't pleasant, going home during the summer holidays. I had to leave my first real home, where I'd met my first real family to a place where I didn't belong, a place where I was uncomfortable, unwanted and unappreciated. Hogwarts was my home, and I had to leave it to go to a living hell and I hated it. And that's why I left when I was sixteen. And I've never gone back".

"My first real home changed when I got off the train... I was there for Easter and everything was fine. But over a few months when it was the summer holidays everything was different. My mum left my family for another man, another country and another life. My dad left me to find my own way home to an almost empty house... he hasn't left his room for weeks and my mother thinks that she can write letters and everything will be okay but it's not. She left my family, she broke it. She hurt my dad and my sister... and me. And now I'm baby-sitting an amazing family who's always there for each other and I can't help but feel jealous and wish that my family was as whole as yours. I just wish that my family was happy all the time and always there for each other like all of you are".

Sirius watched Lily carefully and leaned forward, resting his hand on top of hers.

"Hey, you're a part of this family. You have been since the first moment you walked through that door. You're important and you mean the world to all of us, and we wouldn't trade you for another baby-sitter if we could".

Lily shook her head. "I'm not so sure Aaron would agree with that. He's not exactly my biggest fan".

Sirius sighed and shook his head.

"Aaron's had problems with our last two baby-sitters. He treated them the same because he got close to the first four before that and they all left and he never heard from them again. He's just scared that you're going to leave like the others but you need to show him that you're not going anywhere" he smiled and Lily wiped a tear from her left eye.

"How could anyone leave Jessie and Aaron? Those two kids make my heart melt every time I'm with them and I wouldn't give up on them for anything..."

Sirius nodded and smiled.

"I know that, and Jessie knows that. And deep down Aaron knows that too. But the other baby-sitters only had one thing on their mind- James. They weren't really interested in the kids like you are, they just wanted to flirt with their brother and when their flings ended the baby-sitters moved on and eventually Aaron stopped getting to know them. He found it hard to say goodbye to Mandy and Cindy and whatever the hell all the other's names were".

Lily sighed and grinned at him.

"You know the only other person I've really talked to is James, I never really took you to be the talking kind of guy".

Sirius chuckled and shrugged.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Evans".

Lily shrugged and said; "Maybe I'm just judging from your usual behaviour, the only one I've known until now".

Sirius' eyebrows rose as he sat back and whistled.

"Well from now on, if you need anything I'm here. I'm not the best talker, James takes that medal. Although Moony can be very sentimental and understanding too. Peter mostly just listens and agrees" he said with a smirk and Lily shook her head.

"Well thank you, for everything. I'm going to go find Jessie, I bet she's trying to wipe the last thing she heard from you from her memory" Lily said as she got up and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. She knocked lightly on the youngest Potter's door and heard a muffled "come in" give her permission. She opened the door and walked over to the bed where Jessie, James and Remus were all laying there staring at the ceiling.

"Did you two have a nice chat?" James asked sitting up and giving Lily an innocent look.

"What, were you eavesdropping?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Kind of, but not intentionally. I came down to see if you were surviving h-o-r-n-y Sirius or not and overheard like twenty seconds of it... Please don't be p-i-double s-e-d off" he said quickly and Jessie sighed.

"I hate it when you spell stuff like that" she said grumpily and James shrugged.

"And I hate having to spell them but you're not old enough to hear them actually spoken and if you started swearing then mum would most likely kill me or Sirius".

Lily smiled and shook her head.

"So what have you all been doing? Hiding out up here?"

"Yepp, pretty much. I mean we didn't exactly want to hear Padfoot having an o-r-g-a-s-m so we kind of hid in here. You could have joined but-"

"I was listening to Sirius' thrilling tale of how his happy place was actually his girlfriend feeding him cake on a beach but if that's how you guys think..." Lily trailed off shrugging and James and Remus burst into laughter.

"Is that what he told you? Ha! And you actually believed him? Wow even I didn't think that was possible" James said rolling on his stomach.

"I really don't see how funny it is" Lily replied and Remus chuckled.

"He fooled you Lily. Sirius is a very er-"

"Emotional yet very attractive guy" Sirius' voice answered as he walked into the room.

"And yes it was about Sera feeding me Lily's delicious chocolate mud cake on a beach... Mmm" he added as he went and squeezed himself in between them.

"S-e-x-craved buffoon" Remus mumbled and Jessie said; "That spells sex! Like the stork, right Lily?"

James and Lily stared at each other for a moment and burst out laughing, leaving Sirius and Remus baffled.

"A stork? But isn't it-"

"Who wants more cake?" James interrupted and Sirius sighed lovingly.

"I would love some" he said looking pointedly at Lily.

"What?" she asked frowning at him.

"That was a hintity hint hint" he said with a wink.

"I'm a baby-sitter, not a maid" she replied and he shrugged.

"What's the difference?"

Lily sighed.

"Okay I'll get you some cake. Anyone else?"

"I'll help you with that" Remus said hopping up as James and Jessie put up their hands as if they were at school.

Lily smiled at him and they headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"So James... Lily's toosh?"

"Lily's what?" Jessie piped up and James glared at him.

"I'll discuss it with you later... How's Cindy Jane?" he asked trying to distract Jessie who repeated her question.

"She's fine, in fact I left her in the lounge room watching T.V." she answered.

"I hope she hasn't found Sirius' stash..." James mumbled to himself and earned himself a hard whack from the said person.

**-*-*-*-**

"So who are you taking to the wedding?" Lily asked curiously and Remus sighed.

"I haven't the foggiest. I'm guessing Sirius will take Sera if he's still with her and James... I'm not too sure about him but I'm dateless" he said with a shrug and Lily smiled at him.

"Don't worry; I'll save you a dance. James and I are going together" she said cutting pieces of cake.

Remus, who was holding plates, raised an eyebrow at her.

"Friends huh? That's... great! I should probably have guessed he might ask you."

Lily gave him a weird look as she placed a piece on one plate.

"Why's that?"

Remus shrugged once more.

"No reason really, it's just that the two of you are getting along nicely, I'm glad. I think it's good for James to be friends with a girl without dating her."

He sat the plate on the bench and Lily placed another piece on the second.

"Yeah, me too I guess. James is a good friend" she said as he too placed that one on the counter.

"He is indeed. Just out of curiosity do you have a boyfriend?"

Lily shook her head and frowned at him.

"Why? Are you interested?" she asked jokingly and Remus chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong Lily, you're a striking young woman but I'm not the dating type. I don't much like relationships."

Lily frowned at him again.

"Wow, I never took you as the type to not like relationships."

"It's not that I don't want to date, I just haven't really found anyone suitable enough" he said with a shrug. He left out the part about his inability to date anyone unless they knew about him being a werewolf, and he already put his friends through enough danger as it was, he was not about to place another one in that situation.

"I'm going to pretend that didn't hurt" Lily said poking her tongue out at him and he shook his head.

"I meant no offence to you whatsoever" he said raising his hands in the air and stepping back.

Lily smiled and placed the last bit of cake on the plate.

"And to answer your earlier question, I don't have a boyfriend".

Remus nodded and smiled. Now he knew for sure operation 'Fluffy' was definitely working in progress.

**A/N: **

**Well that's another chapter :) Thank you so much to all those who've waited patiently and begged for updates, I truly understand how it feels to read a story and then wait forever for the author to complete it. Oh and btw, completely sorry for any mistakes, I have an old computer and its memory isn't so great and Microsoft Word stuffed up so I deleted it and fully intended to re-install it only to find there's not enough memory so I'm using Word Pad instead and unfortunately it doesn't have dictionary... But please let me know of any mistakes and I'll try to fix them up :)**

**I love you all ;)**

**Please review xoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To those who waited almost a year for me to update... actually I think it was more than that. YIKES!!_

**NOTES: **_Hmm yes. Another update before school starts. Then I can get my USB stick thingy back and try to update more often. However I am currently studying year twelve which is my last and final year at school... SCARY!! :(_

_Oh btw don't forget to pretty please review :)_

**-*-*-*-**

The weekend. What was Lily to do now that she wasn't baby-sitting until Monday? Sleep in of course.

Lily rolled over and the bright sunlight streamed through her window and she shielded her eyesight by ducking under the bed sheets. Oh how she hated that. No one ever really wants to wake up to that every weekend because once they realise it's daylight they can't go back to sleep. Or was that just her? (**A/N: And the author.. Hehe**)

She sighed and rolled back the other way, but found she could no longer avoid her father and sister downstairs, whom she could hear moving about.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes before swinging her legs over the side of her bed and slipping them into her nice, comfy white woolly slippers. She then got up and made her way to the bathroom to have a quick shower and freshen up before she began the day.

_I wonder what the Potter family are up to?_ she thought as she soaped up the washer and cleansed herself. _Would they be sitting around home or do they actually go and do something?_ Lily then grabbed the shampoo and squirted it onto her hand and ran it through her long red hair. _Maybe James is laying around in his room listening to that loud music he always blared through the house. Or maybe he was still asleep. _The memory of walking into his room to tell him they were going to go grocery shopping suddenly popped into her mind, and the shirtless form of James Potter made her blush deeply. _He did actually have really nice abs_ she thought as she rinsed her hair under the water. _No wonder he has so many girls lined up to- _what was she thinking?! She couldn't possibly think about James being shirtless while she was in the shower. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't even be thinking about that at all really, they were after all just friends. She sighed as she grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured more into her hands and slathered it onto her head without realising she'd already done this. Once she grabbed the conditioner she remembered. _Crap, so much for being a responsible baby-sitter. You let the thought of James' well toned body-get a grip on yourself- distract you and shampooed your hair twice! Well at least it'll be extra clean_ she added as an afterthought and washed the conditioner out. She turned the taps off and got out of the shower and grabbed a towel and dried herself off before wrapping it around herself. She looked at her hair in the mirror and sighed, and used another towel to dry it as best she could.

She then walked out of the bathroom and was about to go into her bedroom to get changed when her father called out to her.

"Lily? Can you come down here for a minute?"

Lily sighed once more and walked down the stairs, getting an annoyed look from her sister who was sitting in the lounge room with Vernon Dursely beside her, his eyes glued to the T.V screen, obviously ignoring Lily. She made her way into the kitchen and saw her father going through the cupboards.

"This Potter family you baby-sit for, what are they like?"

Lily frowned.

"They're very nice people. Mrs. Potter is very kind and generous and she has three children, James; he's my age, Aaron; he's ten and Jessie who's five. Oh and there's Sirius, James' best friend who's our age as well. They go to Hogwarts with me" she said and her father straightened up.

"Is it just her on her own with the kids?"

Lily shook her head.

"No her husband is away on a business trip so she needed the extra help."

Her father nodded and scratched his head.

"What do you say about inviting them over for dinner tomorrow night? It's only necessary that the family get to know each other" he said and Lily nodded and smiled.

"Okay, sure. I was going to invite Alice over to visit today, we can go around and invite them if you'd like."

Her father shrugged. "If you'd like to, I don't see why not. Tell them to come by around seven" he said and then turned back to the cupboards.

"Is it okay if Alice stays the night and then joins us for dinner?"

Her father nodded once more and Lily turned to hurry back up the stairs to change but Petunia was standing deliberately in the way.

"A houseful of freaks is coming over here for dinner?!"

Their father straightened up and turned to face her.

"Petunia you will not use that term whilst they're here, you'll be polite towards them. We're very lucky Lily baby-sits for such a nice family".

"But daddy-"

"Petunia, sweetheart we're only getting to know them, it's just for the one night. And the whole family will be present" he added before she could open her mouth once more and argue.

"But we're not a whole family remember?" she sneered and their father's face whitened.

"Petunia!" Lily said glaring at her but Petunia just shrugged.

"It's true. Let's go Vernon, I'm going to get a haircut" she said walking over to the money jar on the bench and snatching money out of it, leaving hardly any.

"Petunia we need that money for the week! I didn't work my arse off for you to change your hairstyle every few days!" Lily snapped snatching some of it from her.

"Besides you don't need this much for a hair cut" she added and put it back into the jar.

"I'm not going to the slums for a hair do am I? Besides, I need a new shirt as well."

Lily's face hardened as her father stood there frozen staring at the spot Petunia previously vacated before striding over towards the door.

"You have enough clothes as it is. If you want money for your hair and your nails and clothes then get a job otherwise you go without!" Petunia raised an eyebrow at her and said; "no wonder mum left here, it was smart of her to" before slamming the door behind her.

There was silence for a few minutes before Lily said; "Dad..." but he shook his head.

"I need to rest" he said and took to the stairs two at a time. Lily heard his door close and she sighed before she too went to her room and got changed. When she was done she glanced over at her beautiful brown barn owl and smiled at it.

"Come here Flick" she said and opened his cage and he soared out and flew around her room in circles. She giggled and pulled a bit of parchment and a pen off of her desk and began to write:

_My dearest Alice,_

_It's still chaos at home. Dad leaves his room now but not the house. I'm guessing he's afraid of the neighbours asking him how he is. I don't blame him. Especially after the way Petunia just acted when she freaked out about dad inviting the Potter's over for dinner tomorrow night. Which brings me to my sole purpose for writing to you._

_I was wondering if you'd be brave enough to come over today and stay the night and join us for dinner tomorrow. You'd be the bestest friend. Besides, I miss you. We haven't had a lot of catching up these past few weeks, I'm sorry. But at the moment I've been working all week to get my family through the day. _

_I hope you decide to come and save me from insanity._

_I love you lots._

_Always,_

_Lily _

Lily set the pen down and rolled up the parchment and held out her arm for her owl to fly over and rest upon for a moment.

"Take this to Alice for me" she said attaching the letter to his feet and he blinked at her.

"If you're lucky I'll let you go hunting tonight" she said walking over to the window and he glided from her arm into the sky, soaring higher and higher, getting further and further until he was just a small speck in the sky.

She sighed and then walked into the bathroom once more and pinned her fringe back with a few bobby pins. She decided to leave it curly and put on her usual favourite pink lip gloss and mascara. She stepped back and looked at her reflection. Her lime green tank top and her light blue denim mini shorts went together nicely with her fringe pulled back and her hair curly instead of being its usual straight. It was more natural; she had to use her wand to change it daily. She stepped back and inspected her legs and noticed they could do with a touch up so she pulled a shaver from the cupboard and shaving cream and began shaving her legs, and finished with moisturising cream.

She sighed and walked into her room, not knowing what to do with herself. It could take hours for Alice to reply, and she had nothing to do. _There was always the shopping for dinner tomorrow night _she thought to herself and she smiled. She scrawled a quick note for her father and carried it and her wallet down into the kitchen where she stuck the note on the fridge and grabbed her keys. She took a few notes from the jar and sighed as she noticed how empty it was getting and walked out to her car and got in. She put her keys into the ignition and reversed out of the driveway.

**-*-*-*-**

When Lily got home she put the few groceries away and sighed as she added the change to the jar. She decided to go with roast chicken and gravy with vegetables as sides and a chocolate mud cake for desert. It was nothing too fancy, yet nothing not suited. She was just beginning to walk up the stairs to her room when she heard footsteps coming from above. A suspicious air grew about her as she tiptoed silently up onto the second floor and nearly hit herself on the forehead when she realised she didn't have her wand with her, it was in her desk drawer. She crept slowly around the door and yelled in shock when a tall girl with shoulder length mousy brown hair jumped out at her.

"AHHHHH!!"

Alice pulled her into a big hug and there was a crash as Lily's father came running in.

"What is it? What's happened? I heard screaming!" he said looking around wildly.

Lily turned to her father and took in his alarmed expression.

"Everything's fine dad, I'm sorry. Alice startled me that's all" she said and shook her head at her best friend.

"Good grief, I thought someone had broken in or was trying to hurt you" he said backing out of the room.

"Sorry Mr. Evans" Alice said waving to him and he shrugged it off and walked back down the hall.

"Wow, I know what you mean about the whole 'doom and gloom' situation" she said turning to her red headed friend.

"I'm glad you made it Alice" she said wrapping her arms around her.

"Me too. You sounded like you needed a friend" Alice replied patting her back.

"Now would you like to come and meet my baby-sitting charges?" Lily asked pulling back. "I need to invite them over."

Alice nodded excitedly.

"I want to hear all about you baby-sitting for James Potter, of all people. Wasn't it awkward though?"

Lily sighed.

"Yepp, but we're sort of friends now. It's funny how you can go from completely ignoring someone to spending time with them five days out of the week" she replied and Alice nodded. "That's how Mitchell and I were before we got back together last year. Thank Merlin I realised I'd made a mistake getting back with him".

Lily chuckled. "Well every mistake has its consequences I suppose" she said as the letters from her mother that she'd kept from her dad and Petunia surfaced in the back of her mind.

"But let's go and see the Potters, Jessie is the cutest. She has this Cindy-Jane doll who..." Lily babbled on and on about each member until they reached the Potter's mansion and Alice's eyes widened.

"Wow" she breathed. "You are so lucky, Lily" she added and Lily shrugged.

"I don't mind it; it really is a nice house. On my first day Jessie and Aaron broke the coffee table in the lounge room and Aaron cut his arm" she said and Alice chuckled.

"They're going to turn out like James; trouble makers."

Lily grinned and raised her arm to knock on the door. There was silence for a few seconds before the door was swung open by none other than Remus Lupin and his face lit up.

"Hello Lily, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Lily smiled at him and said; "Remus this is my best friend Alice, you might know her from school."

Remus nodded at her.

"I have spoken to you on some occasions. How are you Alice? It's nice to formally meet you" he said extending his hand and Alice giggled and shook it.

"Hi Remus, I'm fine thank you. Yourself?"

"I'm doing well thank you. Are you here to see James?" he asked turning to Lily who frowned.

"Well technically I'm here to see Mrs. Potter but I was intending to see you all. What are you doing here?" she asked as he stepped back and allowed them inside.

"I'm staying the weekend while my parents are visiting extended family in Peru. I wasn't in the mood for travelling and Sirius was nagging at me to stay here instead. James!"

Alice walked through the house in awe, staring at all the objects in each room they passed through. Then, without a warning, a familiar, tall, messy haired boy came bolting out of the kitchen and gave Alice a fright and she leapt back and screamed in horror, causing several more to come out into the hallway.

"Lily!" James said in surprise and Sirius yelled; "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! ALIENS!"

Aaron and Jessie began screaming loudly at the top of their lungs and Alice put her hands over her ears as Sirius ran over to the cupboard under the stairs.

"Quick, just like we practiced. Into the cupboard, move, move, move!" he said holding the door open as the two children ran inside and he snapped the door shut and let out a loud menacing laugh.

"Now I'm going to eat all of the desert and youse can't have any!" he said turning back to the others.

"Hello Lily love, and who is this? Well, well Alice Brennon. Who'd have thought you'd be in my house these holidays? Or in fact at all?" he said pushing his hair back out of his eyes and giving her a wink causing her to blush furiously.

Lily shook her head and looked at Alice.

"Alice don't be alarmed, this is just some nutter who goes by the name of Sirius Black" she gestured towards him and he tipped an imaginary cowboy hat at her.

"Howdy there pretty lady" he said giving her his 'sexy grin' that he'd bragged about many times. As Lily looked at him she couldn't help but laugh at the way he stood holding onto the door as Jessie and Aaron banged continuously on the door.

"Let them out you dodo" James said to him and Sirius sighed and opened the door so they could run out. The second they were out of their imprisonment they both jumped on him and they all toppled to the floor pretending to wrestle. Jessie sat on Sirius' chest and began pinching his face while Aaron squashed his legs and tickled his toes. Sirius let out a tremendous giggle as he writhed and squirmed on the floor. During the chaos, a small, stout boy of about seventeen entered the hall way with his watery blue eyes watching the 'fight' with immense excitement as if he craved to be in on the action. His blonde, straw coloured hair was plastered on his head and fell to his shoulders and the minute he was in sight James grabbed his arm.

"Peter, this is Lily. She's the baby-sitter I told you about. Lily, this is my fellow Marauder Peter Pettigrew, he's one of my best friends. And this is Lily's evil accomplice Alice Brennon, _you know her_."

Lily's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she caught the end of his sentence 'you know her'. What on earth did that mean?

She quickly smiled at him as Peter caught the look on her face and he began to sweat. His eyes turned to Alice and they widened as if in shock.

"It's nice to meet you Peter, I've heard a lot about you" Lily told him holding out her hand.

Peter's eyes snapped back to hers and as he shook her hand she could feel the sweat beating off his palm. She mastered the desire to wipe her hand on her shorts and instead turned to Alice who was grinning at him.

"I know you, I ran into you on the way home. On the train. Sorry about that" she said and Peter's lip trembled.

"I-it's f-fine" he stammered and James rolled his eyes and clapped him on the back. Remus tried to sort out the differences between the other three who were continuing to fight and James turned to Lily.

"So, how are you? I was thinking about you this morning. Mum was thinking of asking you to go dress shopping with her and Jessie next weekend for the wedding" he said as they headed into the kitchen and Alice was left standing there trying to make conversation with a very timid Peter. Remus noticed Peter was looking uncomfortable so he gave up trying to pry Aaron from Sirius and joined their conversation, if you could call it that.

"I'm fine; I had a great sleep in. That sounds really nice" she said and James grinned.

"Great, Sirius and I need new dress robes so we'll be accompanying you" he said pulling a face and Lily smirked at him.

"What?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Nothing, I'm just trying to imagine you in these really frilly dress robes. You look... dashing" she said and he poked his tongue out at her.

"Hey you promised you wouldn't laugh at me" he said sitting on the stool.

"That was for on the night though so it doesn't count beforehand" she replied and sat next to him.

James shook his head. "Sure. So did you miss me or was there something you needed?"

Lily shrugged.

"My dad wants to invite your family over for dinner tomorrow night, if you'd like".

James grinned.

"I knew it; you just couldn't get enough of me. You begged your father to throw a dinner party didn't you?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh of course, because spending an entire week with you just isn't enough to fill my insanity meter" she said teasingly and he playfully pushed her.

"Ouch, did I detect sarcasm?"

Alice suddenly became very interested in watching James and Lily in the kitchen and Remus couldn't help but notice her lack of concentration.

"I'm sorry Remus but is it just me, or are they flirting insanely?"

Remus too looked up at them and surprise etched onto his face as he saw Lily slap James on his arm when he playfully nipped her shoulder.

"Oh my... Sirius get over here now. Operation Fluffy is in progress right before our eyes and we're not even doing anything" he said quickly and the three on the floor fell silent as they all got up and hurried over to the doorway in the kitchen to watch with excitement.

"It's clear; the male penetrates the female then makes a little joke of it. Nothing too serious, but obviously light flirting is going on" Sirius commented into a small recording device and Remus gave him a weird look.

"What on earth is that?" he asked and Sirius looked at it and shrugged.

"It's a way to record myself when I'm in Presidency mode. You know, for future reference and stuff" he said switching it off and tucking it away into his pocket.

Remus gaped at him. "Did you just use the words future and reference correctly in a sentence without having to think about it?"

Sirius frowned deeply at him. "Yeah, why?"

"Amazing, simply amazing."

"Okay not meaning to interrupt but what the hell is Operation Fluffy?" Alice asked giving them weird looks.

"Hmmm, follow me" Sirius said grabbing hold of her hand and dragging her over to the broom cupboard. He squeezed all of them inside and then closed the door.

"I feel claustrophobic" Remus mumbled as his face was pressed up against Alice's chest.

"Way to go Moony, your face is in Brennon's boobs! This is the closest you'll ever get to actually scoring with a chick!" Sirius said ruffling his hair and a horrified look crossed Remus' face.

"Alice I am so sorry, I mean no harm at all I-"

She chuckled and missed the look a hurt Peter was giving his best friend, but Remus surely didn't. He mouthed an apology to him and Peter just shrugged.

"Its fine Remus, I totally understand" she said as they made an effort to make a bit more room.

"Honestly was this necessary?" Aaron asked grumpily as he elbowed Jessie in the ribs.

"Ow!"

"Hush! They might hear us. Now Alice, you need to be sworn to secrecy. You cannot tell anyone, especially Lily or James" Sirius said looking her straight in the eyes.

"As long as it doesn't put anyone in danger" she said wearily.

"Good. We're trying to get them together".

Alice frowned.

"As in a couple?"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes a couple. Boyfriend and girlfriend. An item. A courtship or whatever those oldies are calling it" he said and Alice gaped at him.

"Why? They're just friends" she said and he sighed.

"Because, we can tell that deep down they like each other but none of them are willing to admit it. They're stubborn".

Alice grinned proudly. "That's my Lily" she said and Remus nodded.

"And that's our James. Stubborn to the core when it comes to admitting the way he feels".

There was suddenly a knock on the door and they all gasped.

"Guys? Are you in here?" they heard Lily shout and they glanced at each other.

"Yes!" Jessie called and the door suddenly was pulled open and Peter toppled out and Alice landed on top of him and Remus sandwiched her in between.

"Ouch! Oh Peter, I'm sorry" she said as she noticed she was nose to nose with him. Peter began wheezing at the closeness of her lips as his eyes darted up to hers and Remus rolled off them.

"I'm sorry Alice, Peter" he said pulling her up and then extending his hand to Peter who grabbed it.

"What were you in there for?" Lily asked looking at them weirdly.

"Um... Space cadet meeting" Sirius blurted out earning weird looks from everyone, Lily and James' standing out the most.

"Okaaay. Alice we should get going, we have to set up your bed for tonight" she said and Alice nodded and smiled sweetly at her.

"Sure thing" she replied and Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm".

"Alice could I see you for a minute?" Sirius asked pulling her and Remus by the hand into the kitchen.

"Ouch, what the-"

"Are you in?"

She sighed.

"If it's for Lily and-"

"SHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sirius said clamping a hand over her mouth.

Alice mumbled something that Sirius didn't hear so he removed the hand.

"What was that love?"

"Get your hand off me; I don't know where it's been. I'm in".

"Excellent. I'm going to need you to work on Lily-"

"What was that Sirius?" Lily asked walking into the kitchen.

"Sorry I forgot my wallet" she said grabbing it from the counter and Sirius froze.

"Um, err... I was singing Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. You know, Billie Jean is not my lover, she's just the girl..." he cleared his throat and Lily looked at him and shrugged.

"Sorry I thought you were saying my name" she said and he laughed nervously.

"Lily, Billie. Ha-ha".

Lily frowned.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nope, I'm fine. Just practising my moonwalk, I wanted to see if I was doing it right and I thought I might ask Alice..." Sirius suddenly began to pull off a very fine moonwalk and ended it at the doorway with the tap of his crotch.

Lily grinned and nodded impressively.

"Wow, that's great Sirius. I didn't know you were a fan of him" she said and he shrugged and walked back over.

"Oh yeah, I'm a massive fan... You'd better er, beat it and head off. Ha-ha, you know it's your weekend off you don't want to be around here. You girls go have fun, pamper yourselves and have some girly time. Tell secrets or whatever it is you do" he said grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the front door.

"I'll try to pretend that didn't hurt just a little bit" Lily replied as Jessie ran up and gave her a hug.

"Bye Lily thanks for stopping by".

"Bye-bye Jessie. Well I guess I'll go then".

Alice headed out after her and the boys and Jessie waved.

"WAIT! Alice will you be my date to my mother's wedding?" Peter blurted out and everyone turned to stare at him and he clapped a hand to his mouth. James, Sirius and Remus all gaped at him and Alice's eyebrows rose further and further up her forehead.

"J-just as friends, you know" Peter added and Alice suddenly smiled.

"Sure I will, thanks Peter" she said waving and Lily smiled at the boys.

"Bye, I'll see you tomorrow night. Seven o'clock" she said and the girls turned and left.

"Way to go Pete, you shocked us all" James said turning to his friend and patting him on the shoulder.

"I-I wasn't thinking it-it just came out. Oh no! What if she thinks I'm an idiot or-"

"Relax Wormtail, she said yes. Quit worrying you've got more balls then I thought you did" Sirius said poking his tongue out at him and Remus clipped him over the back of the head.

"Be nice" he warned and James closed the door.

"I'm going to go play with Cindy Jane in my bedroom" Jessie announced and bounced up the stairs with Aaron behind her mumbling something about reading his comics.

"Wow, dinner at Lily's. Should be interesting" Sirius said clapping his hands together.

"Yeah... Maybe" James said, the scene from the kitchen flashing through his head.

-FLASHBACK-

"I still haven't told dad or Petunia about the letters. They don't need to know" Lily said and James shrugged.

"If that's what you think is best" he said and she sighed.

"I don't know anymore, James. I'm just trying to protect them but a part of me feels bad for keeping them from them. They have a right to read them but I'm afraid of my mum hurting my dad again and even Petunia".

James nodded and poured her a glass of orange juice.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to look out for your family Lily. But they might like to know how your mum is doing, despite everything she's done" he said as she sipped slowly.

"You're right. I'll show them the letters after dinner tomorrow night, that way everyone's out of the way and it's just us".

James smiled at her and said; "So how's your sister taking the dinner plans?"

Lily chuckled and sighed.

"Hmmm, she's very... pleasant. She's really looking forward to it I can tell" she replied and James laughed.

"Now I know I heard sarcasm in that sentence".

Lily sighed and looked at him and his hazel eyes met hers.

"You've been really good to me, thank you. The wedding should be interesting" she said and James grinned.

"True though. What are you wearing?"

Lily shrugged. "Clothes hopefully".

"Shame" James said and Lily stared at him, blushing slightly.

James noticed her uneasiness.

"Lily, I'm sorry it was a joke. That was inappropriate of me".

Lily nodded and cleared her throat.

"No it's fine, really. Um, I don't really have any dresses so I guess I could borrow one from Alice, she'll have plenty".

James nodded and drank some of his drink.

"I'm sure you'll find something next week".

Lily nodded but didn't meet his eyes.

"Yeah of course".

She looked away out the window once more and James watched her curiously.

If Lily didn't have the money to afford a dress then he would help her out. After all, every pretty girl deserves a pretty dress. And Lily was definitely pretty.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"They seem like a nice family" Alice commented as the two girls lazed around on Lily's bed listening to music.

"They are a great family, so together and always there for one another. It makes me kind of jealous, my family is fractured but theirs seem whole".

Alice sat up and looked at her.

"Hey, your family is still here. And even if your mum left you've still got me, and now you've got this other amazing family who all seem to love you and accept you. I know you haven't heard from your mum, but I'm sure she's doing just fine. I bet she misses you too".

Lily suddenly brought her eyes up to look at Alice and sighed.

"There's something I need to show you" she said getting up and pulling something out of her drawers.

"What, are you hiding things from me now?" Alice asked disapprovingly.

"No, I just wasn't sure if I was making the right decision in keeping it from them and I guess deep down I didn't tell you because I knew what you're going to say".

Alice nodded and her eyes skimmed over the letters.

"Lily I know what you're doing. But you need to let them decide whether or not they should read it. It might give them some closure, or acceptance. I get that you're just trying to protect them but they have a right to know that she misses them and still thinks about them, no matter how much it hurts them". She folded the letters up and handed them to her.

"I'm going to give these to them after tomorrow night's dinner. I don't want these stupid letters to ruin anything, dad's just started leaving his room and Petunia well, she's still the same person she always was. I just wanted to make sure my family was okay before I let my mum back into our lives".

Alice pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

"I'm here for you, remember that".

Lily smiled at her and wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll never forget it" she said as she put the letters back into the drawer. Tomorrow night was going to be fine. She had her best friend, her dad and her sister and James and his family and she knew that no matter what she would at least be able to enjoy the night until it came time to reveal her secret.

**A/N: **

**Wow, that's another chapter.**

**Okay so these would have come out sooner but the USB my sister borrowed from her boyfriend wouldn't accept them so I HAVE to wait until I get back to school and get my USB stick back from my teacher. What a thief :P**

**Thanks for reading all of this!**

**Oh by the way I'm thinking of doing the next chapter from James' point of view, just for a change and to get his version across. **

**Please****,**** please review :)**

**Love always,**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**xoxoxoxo **


	8. Chapter 8

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_My cat Katie... She's sort of annoying me at the moment but I still love her... And I just discovered she has long eyebrows and she's trying to help me co-write this chapter by walking all over the keyboard lol_

_**Notes:**__ Okay so we have some good news!! I got my USB back finally :) and also my school is letting people take home laptops on loan, except I have to bring mine back when I finish which sucks big time!! But it has Microsoft Word so I can use it, God I've missed it! Plus my brother gave me his USB so I hope it works... Thanks for sticking by me and I hope you like this chapter._

_James' Perspective_

"Wakey, wakey Cherry Pie" James heard a voice whisper in his ear and he smiled to himself in his sleep. A redhead flashed across his mind as he slowly opened his hazel eyes and let out an enormous yell of shock.

"Padfoot, what the hell!?" he asked angrily as he sat up and glared at his best friend.

"You looked so peaceful Prongs, what were you dreaming about?" the long, black haired boy asked as he hopped in under the quilt next to him.

"Uh, nothing. Why are you up so early?" James asked uneasily as he pulled the quilt over him more.

"Well I was dreaming about being in a world that was choc-a-block full with chocolate, like everything was covered in it, it was amazing! I lived in a world where everything was Cadbury, you know that chocolate brand Moony and I love so much?"

"I guess... That's pretty random, Padfoot".

"Anyway I was just about to-"

"Did someone say chocolate?" a groggy voice asked and they looked over and saw Remus Lupin sitting up on his small mattress running his hand through his hair.

"I did! I dreamed about it" Sirius replied and Remus sighed.

"I'd kill for some of that now, actually".

James and Sirius looked at each other and smirked.

"Really Remus?" James asked raising an eyebrow at him. **(A/N: My sister and boyfriend do that to me all the time! They say it in an annoying voice but I can't pull it off as well as they can, which sucks!!)**

"... No not really, although I probably could" he said with a shrug and a small smile.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I was woken up by a low moaning coming from your bed" he said looking pointedly at James.

"Um, what? I wasn't... I have no idea what you're talking about!" James replied going red in the face.

"Mhm, and that's why you're blushing. You were having a dirty dream weren't you? You dirty boy".

James glared at Sirius and then looked at Remus.

"I-Moony, tell him that I wasn't".

"Well Prongs you are blushing quite furiously" Remus replied smirking.

"You're evil, pure evil" James replied and rolled back over. "I'm going back to sleep".

"Say hi to Lily for me" Sirius said snidely.

James leapt up quite suddenly and stared at them both madly.

"No! She has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this; you leave her out of it!"

"Well, well. Aren't you defensive about it" Sirius commented and Remus frowned.

"Jaaaaames is there something you're not telling us?"

James turned his beetroot red face to glare at Remus.

"Moony don't say my name like that, I'm not falling for your tricks".

"But Jaaaaaaaames we're your best friends, you tell us everything" he replied with an evil grin and James shook his head.

"I'm not telling this time".

"BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!! Ha! We caught you, you just aren't admitting it" Sirius said and Remus got up from his mattress and sat on the bed with them.

"No, guys I didn't have a dirty dream about Lily, I-she's the baby-sitter! We're just friends, nothing more" he answered quietly.

"Are you sure? You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are us" Remus told him in his what Sirius calls it, know-it-all voice.

"... I-I can't! I'm not denying anything, I-"

"Stuttering, that makes it more obvious" Sirius said folding his arms and glaring at James.

"Wormtail wake up" he said but the boy continued to snore loudly.

"I say, Wormtail!" he shouted and grabbed the large red quaffle from James' bedside table and lodged it at him, landing square on his face.

Peter let out a loud, shrill scream and sat up like a rocket looking around the room to find the other three laughing although Remus tried showing sympathy.

"What's goin' on?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

"We were just discussing James' wet dream but I think you ought to hear him admit who it was about" Sirius answered and James groaned loudly.

"Oh come on I thought you forgot about that!" he said grumpily.

"As if I could forget about you having a naughty dream about Lily!" Sirius replied and James shrugged.

"Sure you can-"

"AHA! Caught in the act, Prongsie! You just admitted it!" Sirius yelled and Remus grinned wickedly. Wormtail's eyes widened.

"I-No wait a second I was just confused! I meant to say-"

"James Austin Potter, you'd better tell us right this second or else we will force it out of you" Sirius threatened but James shook his head.

"No, I can't and I won't admit it".

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaames..."

"No Moony, you guys are malicious and malevolent and spiteful and evil and unpleasant and I won't admit to any of it".

"But Jaaaaaaaaaaames, we're your best friends!"

"Yeah Jaaaaaaaames!"

James frowned. "Sirius it doesn't work when you do it".

Sirius pouted and crossed his arms once more.

"I am insulted!"

James sighed. "You guys will never, ever give up will you?"

They all shook their heads.

"Besides, if you don't tell us then we'll tell Lily you did and we will make it up ourselves. And you know how my mind works" Sirius said with a sly grin and James' eyes widened.

"You wouldn't!"

"I most definitely would!"

"Yeah, you're right you would. Okay I did" James said with a sigh.

"Excuse me? I'm not following. Did what exactly?"  
James gritted his teeth.

"I hate you, I hate all of you".

"That's a tad harsh mate, you really should think about my little threat. Except it won't be just a threat anymore" Sirius said with a smirk.

James glanced at Remus pleadingly who shrugged. "I can't stop him from doing it, you know that. Only you can".

"You all suck, even you Wormtail. You should be sticking up for me here".

"Sorry James" Peter murmured and stared at the floor.

"Don't feel bad, Pete. It's for a good cause, mate" Sirius told him and smiled.

"Jaaaaaaaaaaames" Remus said in his sing song voice.

"You really suck, I can't believe you Remus, this is a conspiracy!"

"Oh get over it and just tell us already. I'm serious".

Everyone stared at Sirius as he guffawed at his own joke.

"Padfoot that got old after first term, first year" James told him and rolled his eyes. "You've done it every day since the first week of our schooling".

Sirius shrugged. "Whatever, man. It's still the coolest thing ever".

James shook his head. "You're retarded".

Remus sniggered and then cleared his throat.

"But really James, tell us".

James let out a huge sigh and closed his eyes.

"Okaaay" he said opening them. "I had a dirty dream about Lily... But I swear if she hears about this I will personally put you in the grave, all three of you".

"Ahhhhhhh! Prongs you dirty boy, oops I mean, er, stag" Sirius said raising his hands in the air.

James laid back down and pulled the quilt over his face.

"This isn't fair... Why now? Why about Lily? I don't have feelings for her!"

"Jaaaaames."

"Whaaaat?"

"Are you absolutely positive? It's okay if you do".

"No Remus it wouldn't be okay, and no I don't. The last few baby-sitters that have been here left because of me. My mum doesn't need that kind of pressure and the kids like Lily, Jessie especially. Aaron's even slowly warming up to her. I don't want to ruin it".

"Sooo... You like her but you're afraid of stuffing it up not just because of how it would affect you, but also your family?"

James sighed. "I don't like her in that way. We're just friends, that's it."

"But yesterday you stared at her arse and last night you had a dirty dream about her... Yeah you definitely don't like her at all" Sirius said raising an eyebrow at him.

"Sirius, you need to pluck your eyebrows. There's a massive hair in the middle" James replied sitting up and trying to distract him and Sirius let out a scream and ran into the bathroom and they heard him cursing loudly.

"You stared at-"

"Yeah, okay I did. But I didn't mean for it to happen. I just looked up and it was there and I just... male instincts took over alright?"

Remus raised his eyebrow at James who sighed.

"You guys are so gay" he said laying back and closing his eyes.

"Actually the correct term for gay is happy, or ecstatic or-"

"Lame, stupid and dumb?" James asked and Remus shook his head.

"There's no mention of any of those words or anything similar to that in the dictionary. The only other meaning for it is homosexual, and there's nothing wrong with homosexuality due to-"

"I never said there was anything wrong with it! Unless you're Sirius" James said and Sirius let out a loud wail.

"I heard that! And I can't get this bloody monobrow to piss off! Tweezers won't work... Oh my God what do I do? Moony help me; I'm fugly!"

"Shave it" James murmured from under his pillow and Sirius ran back to look at him.

"I don't have any shavers... Jaaaaaames!"

"You can use mine if you stop saying my name like that".

"You got it... Proooooooooooooooongs" he said giggling and running back into the bathroom and they heard him rummaging through cupboards.

"God I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill you all, slowly and painfully" James muttered darkly as he sat up yet again and ran his fingers through his already messy hair.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES! Lily's on the phone!" Aaron yelled up the stairs and James' eyes widened as they heard the shaver drop onto the floor and make a clunk as it hit the sink first before landing on the floor loudly. An evil, menacing laugh was followed and James ripped off the quilt and leapt from his bed and landed in the doorway on his feet. He saw Sirius running down the stairs and James tore after him, flying past his mother who was walking in the opposite direction.

"What on earth?-"

"Sorry mum" James said rushing past her and jumping the last two stairs. He proceeded into the kitchen and just as Sirius was about to pick up the phone he lunged for him and grabbed his legs, bringing Sirius crashing to the floor with him.

"OW! You git!" Sirius yelled angrily as he rolled over onto his stomach and pulled himself up with the aid of a chair and clutched his back.

"Sorry" James panted as he used the bench to pull him up. "But-but I couldn't let you talk to h-her" he added and sighed then drew in a deep breath.

"I'm going back upstairs, if I can make it" Sirius grumbled and made his way out of the kitchen.

Feeling a bit guilty, James picked up the phone and said; "Hello?"

"James! What just happened? I heard this humungous crash and I was worried! Are you alright?" Lily's anxious voice trilled through the receiving end and James sat down on a chair.

"Nothing, Sirius and I were just mucking around but we're fine" he replied breathlessly and he heard Lily's sigh of relief and he smiled.

"So what's up? Since when do you call?"

Lily sighed once more. "My dad wanted me to make sure you're all still coming. He seems to think you might have other important things to do".

James shook his head and then felt stupid. Lily couldn't see him after all!

"Well you can relax because we're still coming, if you want us to".

He overheard Lily's father ask what he had said in the background and he heard the static as she covered the phone. After a few seconds she was back again.

"Sorry, dad was-"

"Asking what I said. I know I have special powers" James cut across and he heard Lily's soft laugh and his insides wriggled but he ignored them.

"Really? Hmm, impressive" she replied and he sighed.

"It's true, they're bloody amazing. So what are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Waiting for Alice to wake up. She sleeps forever" she added in a whisper and James figured Lily was in her room.

"Reminds me of Sirius, except today. He woke up early for a change".

"Wow! How come?" she asked and James sensed inquisitivity in her tone.

"Umm... I have no idea. H-he kind of... Had too many er... Red Bulls. Yeah, you know sugary stuff" James answered nervously hoping Lily didn't pick up on his white lie. There was no way he'd tell her the real reason.

"He would have been nuts. Well I have to go, I'm gunna have a shower" she said and at that James glanced down at his pants and gaped.

"Uh... Good. Great. Me too, I'll er join you- Dammit! No I meant um... I should have one too. You know, you don't want to smell me at dinner tonight... Shit! I don't smell or anything I just-"

He heard Lily giggling and groaned. _Smooth..._

"I'll see you tonight James. Try deodorant, that might help" she said teasingly.

"Right... I will. Not that I need to or anything but-"

"James it's fine. I was kidding. Bye".

"... Bye" he said hanging up the phone. He glanced back down at his pants and sighed as he noticed-

"Wow, you are socially awkward" Sirius said and James swung around and stared at him.

"What? I'm... fine. I'm gunna take a shower" James said trying to rush past them.

"James is that-"

"OH MY GOD, YOU HAVE A BONE-"

"Shut up! I do not!" James replied blushing a dark tone of red.

"Prongsie! What on earth did she say? Were you talking dirty to her?"

"No! We weren't doing that I... She... Nothing!" James said trying once more to get past but Sirius didn't let him.

"Remus-"

"Admit it. She gave you a boner" Sirius demanded.

"FINE! She did! Now will you please move?"

"Whoa, temperamental much!"

James sighed and closed his eyes.

"James?" Remus asked and he opened his eyes and looked at him.

"What did she say?" Sirius asked in a quieter, more curious voice.

"She said she was having a shower" James said lamely.

"Oh Merlin. That's it? She said she was having a shower and that made you horny? Oh my God, do you like her? You want her bad don't you? I knew it!" Sirius said excitedly doing a little triumphant jig.

"No I don't like her and I don't want her, we're just friends! Friends! And nothing more!" James snapped and stormed past them.

"Who are you trying to convince? Us or your stiffy?"

James ignored him and continued up the stairs as if he'd never spoken.

"Is there something specific you're doing James or-"

"Leave it Padfoot" he heard Remus say and blocked out Sirius' response.

He turned on the shower and sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. His face was a dark red, redder then he'd ever seen it before in his life. What was wrong with him? She was the baby-sitter for his brother and sister, they were just friends! They'd agreed to be just friends; this was never a part of the deal!

He stepped into the shower and grabbed the washer and began smothering it with soap as the image of Lily getting into the shower came across his mind and he sighed. "This is so wrong" he murmured as images of his dream came flooding back to him and he leaned his head against the wall and groaned.

"This can't be happening..." he said to himself as the flashbacks became too much for him...

"Sooo Prongsie... Good shower or what?"

"Shut up" James grumbled and Sirius snickered.

"Oooh touchy".

James suddenly got up and glared at him.

"Drop it will you? I don't like her, I never will and I never have okay so just leave it!"

Sirius gaped at him as James stormed out of the house into the backyard and he knew he was heading towards the broom shed. Flying was James' way of getting away from life and thinking, trying to sort out his thoughts and everything he couldn't talk about. He'd be out there for hours at a time pondering over something that was either a small importance or a really big one.

Remus shook his head at him.

"You're going about this the wrong way Padfoot. You're only making it worse".

"It's not my fault he got horny over the freakin' nanny. He wants her and I'm just trying to get him to admit it" Sirius replied in an annoyed voice and Remus sighed.

"I know you are, but teasing him isn't the right way. Let him come to terms with it before we go stuffing up any chance of getting them together. Deal?"  
"Okaaaaay... But he has to admit it sooner or later because this is killing me".

"You and I both" Remus replied and looked up as Peter entered the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge.

"Is James in love with Lily?" he asked grabbing out the milk and pouring it into a bowl of cereal.

"I wouldn't say love just yet, but I'm certain he does have feelings for her and the fact he isn't acting on them is definitely surprising. Usually James would have-"

"Screwed her brains loose by now. And that's saying something" Sirius interrupted earning a look of disapproval from Remus and a squeak of surprise from Peter.

"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, Padfoot. I do believe there's something different about him. It seems as if over the holidays he's changed slightly. He's more serious about things, and the way he talks about girls now is in a different tone. He's matured" Remus said proudly and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well who am I going to talk to now? We used to talk about things like that but now he's gone all soft on me... Ha-ha-ha!" Sirius doubled over as he realized the double meaning he'd just used without even noticing and it even made Peter giggle but Remus just shook his head.

"I'm sure James wouldn't appreciate you using double entendres about that, Sirius. He really is becoming frustrated with you".

Sirius gaped at him. "What the hell are double er... E things?"

"It's basically double meanings, except they're usually with sexual implications which is what you just used" Remus answered intelligently.

"Right... Okaaay I think I'm going to have a shower now too. If James comes back in make sure I'm mentioned in every sentence alright" Sirius replied and began to walk up the stairs.

"Why?" Peter asked and they heard Sirius' annoyed sigh.

"Because it will make him feel better. You better say nice things though, I'll find out otherwise and you know I will".

"You are so pretentious" Remus murmured to himself quietly.

"I HEARD THAT MOONY!" Sirius shouted and Remus sighed and shook his head.

"How he does that is beyond even my wits".

Peter shrugged and began eating his breakfast in a quick manner.

"Why are you eating like there's no tomorrow Wormtail?" Remus asked frowning at him.

"I have to leave early to help mum and... you know who but I'll see you all at the wedding, hopefully before it though if I'm not too busy" he answered and Remus nodded. "I'd better go and say goodbye to James. Will you say it to Sirius for me?"

"BYE PETEY!" Sirius yelled from the bathroom and Remus chuckled.

"I guess that one's taken care of, what say you Peter?"

Peter nodded and smiled as he began to wash up his bowl.

"Sirius sure is full of tricks. Bye Remus, I'll catch up with you soon" he said placing the bowl on the side of the sink and gave his friend a small wave.

"Bye Peter, say hello to your mother for me".

And with that, young Peter Pettigrew walked outside to say goodbye to James who was busily flying on his beloved broomstick in order to get the red-headed baby-sitter off his mind. Which to his dismay, was not working very well at all and he couldn't figure out how.

"Sirius you're definitely the lead catalyst in this group" Remus said rolling his eyes at the longhaired boy who was sitting on his throne in front of Aaron and Jessie.

"Why thank you Moony, as you are my right hand man in this corporation. Without you, this wouldn't work out the way it will hopefully turn out to be".

Remus frowned at this but decided to let it go. There was no way he was going to pick on Sirius' sentences; especially after what happened the last time he did this. His chocolate stash was never the same without his favourite crunchie snack.  
"Um... Thank you, Padfoot. You're... very erm, kind" Remus replied and cleared his throat.

"I know, I know. I've been told many times; the majority being girls obviously".

"Oh God. Um progress?"

"Well James definitely likes her, he's just too stubborn to admit it, the berk" Sirius answered in an unusual sombre tone.

"Don't worry; his veneer will happen soon... I hope" Remus said comfortingly and Sirius scratched his head.

"His what?"

"His veneer... When his true feeling come out, sort of like when you're drunk and you admit a lot of things and-"

"BINGO!" Sirius suddenly yelled making everyone in the room jump.

"Oh, even I scared myself then. I mean I have an idea!" he added as Remus clutched at his heart and Jessie jumped up and ran behind him. Aaron rolled his eyes at his little sister as she clung to Remus' legs fearfully.

"It's alright Jessie, Sirius is just being loud" Remus told her and patted her head lightly. "You can sit back down next to Aaron, he'll look after you" he told her with a smile and Jessie giggled and hopped over to her brother who gave her a disgusted look.

"Hello? Excuse me? I have a plan is anyone going to listen?" Sirius asked impatiently and Remus sighed.

"You are so tumultuous" he muttered to himself as Sirius frowned at him. He looked as if he was going to ask what that word meant but thought better of it and instead went with his grand plan.

"We get James drunk as drunk can be; he can hold his drink pretty well I must say so it might take a bit but sooner or later he will admit it" he said and was met with silence.

"Well?" he asked agitatedly.

"Is that all?" Aaron asked with an annoyed look.

"What do you mean, 'is that all?' It's an amazing idea, alright?"

Remus sighed. "We could give it a try... But that won't get them together in the long run" he said quietly. "James will only admit it, that won't mean he'll act on his feelings" he said and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Someone once told me; 'It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end' which clearly states-"

"Have you been reading my book of quotes again?" Remus snapped interrupting him.

"Er... Yes, I have. Why?"

"Give that back! I've been looking for it since the moment I stepped off the train! I can't function without my quotes book" Remus snarled as he glared at Sirius.

"Easy Moony, keep those fangs away from me. It's not good to get so worked up about an old book" he said but Remus didn't let up.

"You are the most self-serving person I've ever met, Sirius Black! My mother gave me that when I was a boy, it's been in the family for ages, now give it here" he ordered holding out his hand.

"Okay, okay! Geez Louise... Alright, meeting adjourned until next week. We're going to do weekly meets unless there's something very important that needs to be discussed".

Aaron and Jessie both got up and ran out of the room as quickly as they could and Remus grabbed Sirius by the ear and marched him all the way to his room.

"It's not in here; I left it in the shitter this morning. I read it from time to time in there" he said and Remus gasped.

"Oh god... I'm going to have to spray disinfectant on the book; Merlin only knows what you've done with your hands!" he said and hurried ahead to the bathroom and Sirius heard his angry protests along the way and smirked.

"Poor kid, doesn't even have a life outside of his nerdy little book world".

He looked up and saw James walking up the stairs and waved to him. James didn't smile back but gave a half-hearted wave back.

"Did you have a good fly?" Sirius asked hurrying up to him.

"It was okay. Where's Moony?"

"The dunny. He's gone mad because he found out I stole his quotes book and since I read it in there he's gone to get it. He's probably washing it or something".

"SIRIUS!"

"Uh oh, I think he's found the quotes I added in".

James snorted.

"You're dead mate" he said and Sirius shrugged.

"You graffitied in my book! What sense is 'plop, plop, plop'?"

James and Sirius let out a shout of laughter as Remus stared at them indignantly.

"Oh Sirius, that's foul! You're disgusting!"

The boys continued laughing and then Remus said; "This one's worse... 'Here I am sitting on the loo, trying to do a big, fat, smelly brown poo.' Sirius!"

Raucous laughter was heard down in the lounge room where Jessie and Aaron sat watching cartoons. They looked at each other weirdly and then shrugged and went back to watching T.V.

The boys were rolling around on the floor as Remus continued reciting.

"'There it goes ever so slowly, sinking down, down, down, so lowly. Into the bowl sounding like putty, what did I eat? It looks all nutty'... You're seriously disturbed! What is wrong with you!?"

Sirius couldn't answer and James tried to stand up with the help of the wall but he was shaking too much as his lips burst with uncontrollable laughter.

"Boys!"

The front door closed and Katherine Potter's voice was heard even over their laughter.

"Lunch! Come and get it".

Sirius, although giggling madly, made it to his feet and ran down the stairs with James running after him. Remus sighed and held the corner of his book with the tips of his fingers and went and sat it in James' room and then joined everyone downstairs.

"Now I want you all on your best behaviour tonight, Mr. Evans doesn't need your grief. Act nicely, dress appropriately".

"Yes mum" everyone but Remus answered.

"Remus dear, are you coming or not?"

"Lily said that it was alright if I did, you don't mind do you, Mrs. Potter?"

She smiled. "Of course not, you've always been a part of the family. And how many times do I have to tell you? It's Katherine".

He nodded. "Right, my apologies". She passed him a plate and a pair of utensils and he began to dish food onto his plate.

"So I'm thinking of going dress shopping on Tuesday. I can get some time off work and I'll ask Lily if she would like to stay over on Monday night so she can come with us, which works out because I have a meeting that night so I'll be home a bit later than usual. Is that alright James?"

James looked up from his plate at the same time Sirius did who was looking like Christmas had come early.

"Why would it worry me?" he asked glaring at Sirius and telling him to shut his mouth with a death stare.

"Well you're the oldest and I thought I should run it by you first. Sirius has taken up the spare bedroom so she could stay in his room and Sirius could bunk with you".

James shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine. I don't mind."

Sirius sniggered.

"Why don't I keep my room and she can bunk with James? I'm sure he wouldn't say no to that."

James kicked him from under the table and he winced causing Katherine to look at both boys suspiciously.

"Is there something-?"

"No mum, everything's fine. Sirius is just being retarded, like always".

James looked at his mother who was staring at him and his eyes dropped back to the table, not wanting to see the inquisitive look she had.

"Because Sirius, that would be inappropriate and Lily is a guest. I'm sorry but I won't have her sleeping on the couch and Jessie's room is too small and Aaron won't want to give up his. Besides, she's helped out a lot with this family so it won't harm you to sleep in James' room for one night. You didn't complain last night".

"Hey Kathy, I'm not complaining, honest! I just thought I'd throw that suggestion out there for James". At that Sirius earned himself another kick and he winced once more.

"James can I have a word?"

James glared at Sirius and slapped him on the back of the head as he walked past him into the lounge room. His mother turned and faced him.

"What's going on?" she asked and James sighed.

"Nothing! Sirius is just being Sirius that's all".

Katherine sighed. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you about the other night when you tried to kiss Lily. James-"

"Oh, God. Mum that wasn't supposed to happen; I got caught up in the moment! I had no idea what I was doing! And Lily and I discussed it and we decided that nothing happened and that we're just friends! Why do I have to keep repeating that?"

Mrs. Potter frowned.

"James don't talk to me like that, I was only asking because it's my duty to keep your best interests at heart-"

"What? I can decide on my own what my best interests are".

She glared at him.

"You need to understand that I need Lily's help right now, I'm struggling to hold this job and the family together and with Lily here it's been a lot easier. I don't want you to mess that up for me like you have with all the other baby-sitters."

James stared at her in disbelief.

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing!"

"Think about me, I don't need the extra stress of having to keep looking for baby-sitters all the time James! Your brother now despises every single one we get because none of them stick around, he gets to know them and then they leave mysteriously after you've had a fling with them and then the spark dies! Jessie loves Lily; she'd be heartbroken if Lily left. You need to sort out-"

"STOP YELLING AT ME! I am not interested in Lily! We're just friends! Why can't anyone see that? I'm not going to mess anything up! If I was, I would have screwed her already and you'd be looking for another baby-sitter but I haven't! Lily doesn't deserve that, she deserves a lot more! If it wasn't for the fact that we need her help I might have slept with her already but I'm not that guy anymore, you just haven't been around to witness that!"

Katherine stared at James in shock as he stood there glaring at her.

"I'm not jeopardising this family anymore than I already have" he told her softly and she sighed.

"James, I'm sorry I've just been stressed and tired... I didn't mean to take that out on you, honey. Wake me up a couple of hours before we leave, sleep is the best thing for me right now" she said and turned and walked off up the stairs running her hand through her tangled hair.

James closed his eyes and sighed.

Why couldn't anyone see that they were just friends?

_Why can't you see you're more than just friends?_ A voice inside the back of his head whispered and he sighed.

"I'm going for a walk" he said to the rest of the family who were all standing at the door staring at him.

He turned and walked over to the front door and Sirius called out to him but he ignored him and slammed it shut.

"Sirius was that really necessary?" Remus asked turning to him.

"Don't start Moony, I don't need it" Sirius snapped and walked into the lounge room and sat on the couch.

Jessie touched his hand lightly.

"Do you want to see my dollhouse?"

Remus smiled at her.

"Sure".

They walked upstairs and she pointed at her door.

"It's in here" she said and they walked over to the corner of her room where an elegant white model of a house stood facing them.

"Wow Jessie, that's quite pretty".

They walked around the back of it where it was open and as soon as he saw it he knew exactly what house it was.

"This is James' room, he's in there a lot" she said pointing at a room with a big bed and a stereo. There was a small doll with messy black hair laying on the bed with a grin on his face.

"This is mummy and daddy's room, daddy's sitting in his chair while mummy's doing her makeup in her bathroom" she said and pointed at a larger room with a bathroom attached.

"Here's Aaron, he's on his skateboard" she said with a smile as a small brown haired boy was racing around on his own, narrowly missing his bed.

"This is Sirius' room, he's looking at his photo book; he does that all the time" she said and Remus grinned. This was a replica of the book he, James and Peter had given him in their first year when they had to go home for the summer holidays. The real one was filled with pictures of them together and random notes that they'd passed during classes. Sirius had said it was the best gift he'd ever received.

"And here's Lily in the kitchen, she's making chocolate cake. She likes it here" she said pointing out the red head who was over by the bench. Remus grinned; she was wearing clothes very similar to what she'd actually worn that day.

"And here's us, in my room. I'm sitting on my bed and you're reading me a story, we're very special friends" she said blushing and Remus frowned as he looked closer. There he was; brown shaggy hair, tired looking expression. And there was Jessie, staring at him with a big smile on her face. It looked contagious, seeing it made him want to smile.

"Wow Jessie, this... This is pretty special. Have you showed anyone else this?"

She shook her head. "I only want to show you" she said mirroring the exact smile on the model Jessie.

Remus swallowed hard. "Uh, that's very nice of you. I appreciate that".

He stood up and turned away from her; for the first time realizing how deep he'd gotten himself into this mess. He'd only wanted to be nice to Jessie; he thought it was just a tiny crush, a phase she would grow out of. But by being nice to her and spending time with her he'd only made the situation worse.

"I'd better go and check on Sirius" he said leaving as quickly as he could.

"Wait! Can you read me a story? I want to have a nap" she said running out after him.

He turned to her and for the first time shook his head.

"No Jessie". He turned quickly so that he couldn't see the hurt expression on her face, hating himself for hurting the poor girl.

"Oh... Okay then" she said and went back into her room slowly.

He walked down the stairs and sighed. "I'm such an idiot" he said and made his way into the lounge room where Sirius was watching T.V.

"Days of Our Lives?" Remus questioned and Sirius shrugged.

"It's a good show, there's so much drama" he said and noticed the look on Remus' face.

"What's the matter Moony?" he asked and he sighed.

"I just realized how bad this thing with Jessie is. She's got this doll house and put me in the room with her. She's... I felt bad for turning down reading a story to her, it hurt her feelings" he said and Sirius raised his eyebrows at him.

"I told you not to be so nice to her, didn't I?"

"Trust you to be the one to say 'I told you so'. I didn't want to be mean to her; I just wanted to let her down gently. But now it's just made her kind of..."

"Obsessed?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that" he said miserably.

"Here, sit with me. Watching the dramas of other people will take your mind off it" he said patting the couch beside him.

Remus sidled over and squished in next to him and sighed.

"Now watch" Sirius said draping his arm along the back of the couch making Remus feel uncomfortable.

"Sit back mate, it's a good show".

Remus sat back regardless, and found himself getting caught up in the daytime soap.

**That's all for now! I hope you guys like this chapter, next one will be back in Lily's perspective. Let me know how you all felt about this one okay? And once again I'm sorry for the long absence, but I will try to do more updates. Life gets in the way sometimes I'm afraid. :(**

**Love always,**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**xoxoxox**


	9. Chapter 9

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To the reviewers, thanks a bunch for making my return a happy one. You guys are awesome :)_

**Notes: **_I was very excited when I saw the responses for previous chapters, thanks loads guys! You all motivate me to write more ;)_

"Okay everything's set. Great work Alice" Lily said beaming at the job of setting the table they'd just managed. Lily's father has suggested eating outside so they'd gone into the backyard and Lily had enlargened the table out there with a bit of help with her wand. She was very thankful she'd turned eighteen in January and that the neighbours were old, batty people who hardly ever stepped out into their own backyard.

Alice chuckled. "Can you imagine their faces when we show them our handy work? They'll wish they helped out" she said aiming her wand at one of the fairy lights they had and raised it into the air. Fairy lights were everywhere in the backyard, Lily thought it set the mood and it also helped with eating. No one wanted to eat in the dark.

"So Lily um... You and James are pretty good friends, right?" Alice asked shiftily and Lily looked at her and frowned.

"Yeah sure. Why's that?"

"Oh I don't know. I guess I just saw the two of you yesterday and to be honest I think you'd make a great couple. You looked cute flirting together" she said with a smirk.

"What? I wasn't flirting!" Lily said not meeting her best friend's eyes.

"Really?" Alice asked her voice full of surprise. "Because it definitely looked like the two of you were flirting".

Lily sighed.

"We weren't. Well I know I wasn't anyway. We're just friends, that's all".

"With benefits" Alice muttered and Lily glared at her and threw a bit of ice from the esky at her.

"You're funny. But seriously, I don't see James in that way. And besides even if I did we couldn't do anything about it, I work for his mother, I'm their baby-sitter. It would be inappropriate and Mrs. Potter wouldn't approve of it anyway".

Alice clicked her tongue.

"How do you know that?"

"Because of the way she reacted when James almost kissed me-"

Lily was interrupted when Alice spat out the drink she had just taken a sip of.

"HE WHAT?"

"Shhh! I forgot that you didn't know about that. We were just mucking around and she walked in when he was sort of leaning towards me and-"

"He tried to kiss you? Lillian Rose Evans how dare you not inform me of this? This changes everything! He likes you!"

"No! It wasn't like that! We were chasing each other and he tipped chocolate milkshake on me and I don't know what happened and he just started coming towards me and yeah... He doesn't like me, we agreed afterwards that it was nothing and that we're just friends" Lily said in an annoyed tone.

"But... he tried to kiss you Lily, that has to mean something, right?"

Lily shook her head. "He was just caught up in the moment, that's all".

Alice sighed agitatedly. "If that's what you want to believe".

Lily smiled at her friend.

"You need to worry about yourself... and Peter! That is too cute, especially the way he asked you. Well, yelled at you anyway" she said grabbing a can of drink out of the esky.

"It was kind of cute... in a dorky sort of way" she replied shaking her head. "Poor kid seemed so nervous; I didn't have the heart to say no. Besides, I think it'll be fun".

Lily nodded. "It'll definitely be even funner now that you're coming. Have you even thought about your dress yet?"

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, Lily chill. He only asked me yesterday! I haven't even had time to think about it. But now you mention it I think I have an appropriate one in mind. You remember my pale pink one with the one strap off to the shoulder?"

Lily nodded excitedly. "Uhuh, that looked great on you".

Alice smiled. "What about you? Don't you have any in mind? I know you've had longer to think about it since you're going with _James_" she said putting emphasis on his name.

Lily rolled her eyes and then suddenly looked at the ground as she remembered her predicament.

"Um, I'm not too sure. I'll figure something out" she said quietly and then sipped her drink.

Alice stared at her suspiciously but didn't continue the conversation; Lily didn't look like she wanted to talk about it anymore.

She was about to suggest going inside to wash up and get changed when Mr. Evans called their names.

"Lily! Alice! The Potters are here" he said and they each stood up and hurried inside.

When Lily stepped foot in the lounge room her eyes flickered over the entire family and smiled when she saw that Remus was also there. They were all dressed nicely, obviously Mrs. Potter had instructed them to. She tried not to giggle when she saw James' hair and noticed that he'd made an effort to flatten it but it hadn't worked out very well. It still stuck up in every direction. Sirius' hair was very nicely groomed, as always and it seemed it had an extra bit of shininess through it. Remus' was as shaggy as ever, just hanging over his eyes but it was obvious he could still see. She noticed Mrs. Potter eyeing it off and Lily knew that there was nothing more that she wanted then to cut it off. Jessie's hair was in cute little plaits and Aaron's was just like James', attempted flattened but to no avail.

"Hello Lily, how are you?" Katherine asked and Lily smiled kindly at her.

"I'm fine thank you, yourself?"

"Oh I'm not too bad. Hello Alice" she said waving at her.

"Hi Mrs. Potter" she responded. Alice's mother worked with James' and she'd seen her a few times whilst going into work to give her mother her house keys, which she always forgot.

"You two had better get on upstairs and change, dinner will be ready in fifteen" Lily's father said and they walked past him and up the stairs.

"Well doesn't James look dashing tonight?" Alice commented poking her tongue out at her friend who shook her head.

"I didn't really notice it's nice that he tried to comb his hair though" she said making Alice giggle.

"Remus scrubs up good too; I wonder if he might let me cut his bangs though, they're awfully long" Alice said hopefully.

Lily chuckled. "I think that will be a tough one to battle, Remus likes his hair. I saw Mrs. Potter observing it, I think she might beat you to it" she said and Alice shrugged.

"At least we can see his eyes, they seriously look like chocolate! It makes me want to eat them" she said pulling out a sparkly strapless top and a denim skirt.

Lily burst out laughing at this comment and Alice soon joined her. After a few minutes Lily finally straightened up and rummaged through her wardrobe. "I haven't got anything nice to wear" she mumbled sadly.

"Don't worry about it, I've got a nice shirt that would look great on you" she said pulling out a one shoulder piece. It was emerald green and Lily's eyes bugged out of her head the moment she laid eyes on it.

"It's beautiful" she breathed and Alice grinned.

"It will match your eyes perfectly" she said passing it to her.

"Thanks Alice! What should I wear with it?"

"Hmm..." Alice walked over to Lily's cupboard and pulled out the first pair of tight fitting jeans she noticed.

"Here, try these. Your legs are awesome, they'd rock that pair" she said and Lily blushed, the memory of James telling her he liked her legs surfacing in her mind.

They were black and as Lily walked out of the room and into the bathroom she couldn't help but feel special. She got changed and the minute she stared into the mirror she smiled. She loved her outfit, it suited her nicely. She walked back into her bedroom after knocking to make sure Alice was done and she smiled.

"Very pretty. Try this belt, the shirt's a little too long" she said handing a black one with a large bronze buckle over to her. Lily clipped it on around her waist and Alice nodded.

"Awesome, let's do your make-up" she said and Lily smiled and followed her into the bathroom.

"I think we should leave your hair down, those waves are pretty rad. And your fringe is pretty cute too" Alice said grabbing the eye liner.

"Not too much" Lily warned her and Alice shook her head.

"Relax, we're not going to a Kiss concert" she said and Lily chuckled.

She stayed still whilst Alice applied the eyeliner and then the mascara and passed Lily the light pink lip gloss.

She applied it herself and then waited for Alice to finish with her own.

They stood there beaming at themselves in the mirror and Alice added a pair of gold hoop earrings to her look.

"Perfect" she said and Lily grinned.

She grabbed some of her rainbow bracelets and added them to her arms and then sighed.

"Ready to go?" she asked and Alice nodded and they linked arms and walked down the stairs.

"Oh Lily, you look beautiful" her father said smiling at her. "And you too Alice".

"Thank you" they said in unison and then helped bring out some salad bowls.

The minute Lily and Alice walked outside, James glanced up and his jaw dropped the moment his hazel eyes set upon Lily. He stood there gaping for a moment when Remus came up from behind him.

"Catching flies James?" he asked and James' mouth snapped shut.

"I-no of course not" he said blushing.

Remus smirked.

"We'll keep that one to ourselves. Sirius has given you enough grief today" he said walking over and taking the bowls from the girls.

"You both look lovely" he told them with a flourishing smile and they returned it.

"Thanks Remus" Lily said as she walked over to Sirius, Jessie, Aaron and James who'd just joined them.

"Hi" she said waving and Jessie ran up to her and gave her a hug.

"You look really pretty Lily" she said and Lily smiled.

"Well so do you Jess, that dress is gorgeous on you".

"Thank you, mummy found it in my cupboard the other day. She wanted me to wear it to the wedding but I wanted to wear it tonight".

"Well it looks very nice. Hi Sirius, your hair is slick as always" she said with a smile.

"Only for you, baby" he said winking and missed the glare James gave him. He cleared his throat and smiled.

"Er... you look nice" he mumbled and Lily grinned at him.

"Nice try to get your hair to stay flat, what did you use? Gel?"

James was about to reply when Sirius got in before him.

"He boned it".

James choked on his drink and stepped away from the group and sprayed it everywhere.

Lily frowned and Sirius smirked at his joke.

"Sorry what I meant to say was combed it, my bad. I don't know why the boned came into mind" he said and James straightened up and made his way back over.

"His hair's pretty boneriffic though isn't it?" Sirius said making Lily giggle and James glared at him.

"I'm just messing with you. Nah he combed it and used just about the entire container of hair goo" Sirius said and Lily shrugged.

"It was worth a try though" she said reassuringly.

James nodded. "I wasted about all of it and Mum went berserk. She literally yelled at me so I told her it wasn't my fault I inherited my Dad's genes".

Sirius chuckled. "You'd probably split the crotch area".

Lily cleared her throat.

"I'm going to go help out over there, I'll see you guys later" she said turning away.

James kicked Sirius in the shins while her back was turned and hurried after her.

"Hey James, stop boning around!" Sirius yelled after him and the only response he got was the middle finger.

"Dinner's up!"

Everyone walked over to the table and found a seat. Lily was next to Alice and Sirius and across from Remus and James. Jessie was sitting next to Remus and on the other side Aaron was next to Sirius. Her father and James' mother were both down the end and were engrossed in conversation when Petunia showed up with Vernon.

"Tuney!" Mr. Evans said standing up to greet his daughter. "Come sit" he said gesturing to the only two available spots: next to Jessie and next to Aaron.

Vernon made a face as he squeezed in next to Aaron and Lily heard Sirius laughing under his breath. Petunia gingerly sat next to Jessie, not too close but not far enough to fall off the end which Lily had to admit that would make her night if she did.

"How was your day?" he asked his daughter who smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh it was fine, quite eventual. Lily I wasn't under the impression you had a stylish top. Did you go through my wardrobe?" Petunia asked turning to her sister who rolled her eyes as James who in turn smiled.

"Alice-"

"I gave it to her" Alice cut in and Lily stared at her.

Alice smiled and winked.

"It looks great on you Lily; I don't think I can bring myself to take it back. Don't you think it makes her look sexy, James?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at her best friend and James smiled.

"Of course" he said winking at her and making Lily go crimson. Sirius grinned.

"Don't you think she looks bone-tabulous, Prongs?"

Sirius winced as James booted him under the table.

"What is it with you and the word bone? You've been using it all night" Lily asked frowning deeply.

Sirius shrugged. "Why don't you ask James?"

Lily looked at him and was about to ask but her dad interrupted.

"So James how old are you?"

James turned his attention to Lily's dad.

"I'm eighteen, sir" he answered politely.

"Now, now James, I'll have none of that sir nonsense. It's Rob" he said and James smiled.

"My apologies".

"What is it that you are planning to do after school?" he asked cutting up a bit of roast and smothering it in gravy.

"I'm going to train to become an Auror, they catch the bad wizards" he explained when Lily's father looked puzzled.

"Oh, that sounds like a policeman" he said smiling.

James frowned and scratched his head making Lily laugh.

"It's basically the same thing, only policemen can't use magic, just weapons" she said and James nodded.

"Right. This roast is great; did you cook this Mr. Evans?"

"No, it was Lily and Alice, they did a splendid job".

Lily and Alice high-fived each other and Petunia rolled her eyes.

"And what about you Sirius and Remus? What are your plans?"

"Auror" They both said at the same time.

He smiled. "This Auror business sounds popular. Is that what you'll be Lily?"

Lily shrugged.

"I'm not too sure. I thought of maybe being a Healer" she said and her father cleared his throat.

"A what?"

"A healer. Like a doctor or nurse" she said and he nodded.

"And you Alice?"

"I'm going to be a Forensic Chemist" she said proudly.

"Well, well. Sticking to er muggys jobs is it?"

Lily giggled. "Muggles, dad".

"Oh right, of course" he said and turned back to Mrs. Potter and they began discussing her work.

The phone started ringing abruptly and Petunia excused herself and went inside to answer it.

When Petunia came back out, Lily was busy in a discussion with Remus about Muggle Studies, a class they'd taken last year. Lily looked up at Petunia and caught the confusion on her face and their father asked her what was wrong.

"That was mum on the phone".

Lily's face suddenly went chalk-white and she glanced at James who was looking quite worried.

She glanced at her father's expression, he'd gone stone cold.

"What did she want?" he asked and she frowned.

"She said she sent letters but didn't get a reply so she called saying that she wanted to tell us something important. I didn't notice any letters, did you?"

Their father shook his head and looked at Lily who was staring at her plate.

"Lily? Did you receive any letters from your mother?"

Alice squeezed her hand under the table comfortingly.

"I... The first letter she sent was on the morning I started working for Mrs. Potter" she said staring at her plate.

"You _knew_? You knew she wrote us letters and you didn't say anything?" Petunia asked angrily and Lily looked up at her.

"I wanted to protect you! She left us, she has no right to turn around tell us how her new life's turned out for her! She has no right to write and tell us she misses us because she was the one who left, she could have stayed!"

"I thought she wanted nothing to do with us! But she just asked when we were coming to visit! Did you know she planned to have us stay with her?"

"Yes! I knew! I knew all along about how her and 'Andrew' are building on rooms to their big, spacious house for us whenever we visit them! I knew she was going to call but she didn't say when and-"

"You were going to answer weren't you? You were trying to make sure we never answered the phone so we wouldn't find out about her missing us and wanting us to be with her! I thought she left and wanted nothing to do with us but you had the words the whole time and you didn't tell anyone!"

"I was trying to look out for you! She left us, why would she want us with her? Dad didn't leave his room for weeks after I got back, you were hardly home because you didn't want to admit things had changed and you couldn't be here anymore! I was only trying to protect you from getting hurt by her again; she's already broken our family..."

Lily was on her feet now and Petunia was staring at her fiercely. Their father was looking from one to the other.

"So you knew that she was writing to us? You knew she was going to call and you kept it to yourself?" Petunia demanded.

"Yes, and I'm sorry! But I was afraid that if you knew she wanted you to visit then you'd go and never come back to us, I was scared that I was going to lose you. I was afraid that Dad would go back to staying in his room and that I'd be alone. She left us, why should she come back into our lives only to mess with them again and again?"

Petunia shook her head.

"That isn't your choice to make Lily, you should have told us."

Lily glanced at her dad who was staring at her disapprovingly.

"Where are they?" he asked and Lily swallowed.

"In the top left drawer in the desk in my room" she whispered and Petunia turned on her heels and ran inside, leaving Lily standing there facing James who was looking at her sadly.

"I think dinner is over. I'm very sorry Katherine, I-"

"Its fine, Robert; we understand. Alright, let's go guys" she said to her children.

They all got up from the table and began to walk inside but James walked over to Lily.

"If you need me..." he said softly and she nodded.

"I'm okay" she whispered. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"You know where to find me" he said before saying goodnight to her father and leaving.

"Lily-"

"Alice, you should go too. I'm very sorry but Lily is not allowed visitors for the time being" her father said and Alice nodded.

She pulled her friend into a tight hug and held her there for a minute before saying; "I'm here if you need me" and then walked inside leaving Lily and her father alone in the nasty silence.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Lily. You embarrassed me in front of them and you lied to us. Go to your room and don't leave until the morning" he said and she hurried inside wiping her tears. She got to her room and saw that Alice had already left. She shut her door and closed the drawers that Petunia had gone through and then looked around her room.

She felt like a mess and the only person she could blame was herself. Tonight hadn't gone the way she planned at all.

Lily walked over to her bed and grabbed her grey trackies and green singlet and changed into them. She glanced at herself in the mirror and threw her clothes on her ground. She decided to sneak into the bathroom and clean herself up and then brush her teeth.

Five minutes later she re-entered her room and saw a snowy white owl with a black patch around its eye. It clicked its beak at her and she remembered seeing it at the school every so often bringing in mail.

Lily walked over to it and took the note from its feet and it took flight and flew out of the window. She carefully unfolded the letter and read it silently.

_Lily,_

_Don't worry I'm coming to get you. You need to get away from that house until you're feeling better._

_I'll be there in five minutes,_

_James_

She frowned at the letter and then sat in her top drawer. She looked around her room and sighed. _What am I going to do? I need to make it up to them somehow_ she thought to herself.

She started thinking about their favourite kinds of food and flowers when she was distracted by a light tap on her window. She looked over and didn't see anything so she walked over and pushed it open, narrowly avoiding a small rock.

She glanced downwards and saw James standing there with a smile on his face.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" he said and Lily couldn't help but smile back at him.

"You're a goof. What are you planning?"

"You'll see. Now come on down or I'll get you myself" he replied and she looked back at her bedroom door and then climbed down carefully. She reached the bottom and turned around.

"If my Dad catches us-"

"Relax, I'm a Marauder. Trust me, Evans" he said taking her by the hand and sneaking over to the fence.

"James a guard dog lives there" she said as he was about to climb over.

"I can take him on" he said pushing himself up.

The next thing she knew, the dog started jumping up and barking ferociously and James let out a yell of shock and fell backwards making Lily laugh.

"Shhh! We're going to get caught" she said grabbing him by the hand and pulling him over to the side of the house. She heard her father cough and knew he was in bed.

"I don't think we'll be seen" James murmured pulling something silvery out of his pocket.

"Being heard is the main thing" she replied quietly and then frowned.

"What's that materially stuff?"

He grinned and then brandished it in front of her eyes.

"This my redheaded friend is an Invisibility Cloak" he said waiting for her reaction.

She snorted. "Yeah right, like I'm going to believe you have a-"

She was cut off when James threw it over his head and she could no longer see him.

"Where-?"

James suddenly came up behind her and clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream" he whispered as he pulled her under the cloak with him.

"Where on earth did you get this from?"

"My dad gave it to me as a gift before I got on the train in our first year, it's pretty neat. This is one of the ways we never got caught sneak-"

Lily turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Was that you who snuck up on me one night while I was patrolling and gave me a wedgie?" she demanded angrily and James chuckled.

"Actually that was Sirius but I didn't stop him. Sorry about that by the way" he added smirking at her.

"Well at least I know why you hardly ever got caught out" she said shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, about that. I think I said too much, it was a Marauder's secret" he said glancing at the ground.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone" she promised.

"Thanks, and maybe don't mention it to the guys? They'd probably kill me, they might let Remus rip me to shreds" he said chuckling.

"Why Remus?"

He suddenly froze.

"Er... He gets pretty er... vicious when he's angry so he usually dishes out the punishments" he answered uneasily.

Lily looked at him weirdly.

"Remus? Vicious? I don't believe it".

James shrugged.

"Well let's hope you don't see him like that then".

"So where are we going?"

He smiled.

"The park?"

Lily nodded and they began to make their way past the house onto the pavement. Every step they took James fidgeted and Lily noticed he was slightly bent over.

"It's harder with the four of us, we had to stop using it around fourth year because we grew too much" he explained and Lily smiled.

"At least I can walk normally".

James poked his tongue out at her.

"If I stood up straight then our feet would be visible. How do you think your Muggle neighbours will take that?"

Lily chuckled lightly.

"Fair point, but isn't it annoying?"

James shrugged his shoulders and pushed her slightly to keep going.

"It doesn't bother me that much, we don't get seen so I can't complain really" he said as they crossed the road.

"My dad was really angry, so was Petunia" she mumbled and he sighed.

"You're grounded aren't you?"

Lily nodded.

"Pretty much, he sent Alice home. He was really disappointed in me, so she should".

James shook his head as they walked through the park gate and made their way over to the swing set.

"You were only trying to protect them, you thought you were doing what was best for your family; I hope he realizes that" he said pulling off the cloak and folding it up.

He sat it in his pocket and Lily made her way over to the swing.

"I still should have told them, I was just afraid that I'd lose them both" she mumbled and James stood behind her and pushed her gently.

"I know, but it's not the most horrible reason to guard your family's interests; it's nice of you to try and look after them" he said softly and she smiled.

"Do you remember when you asked me who was going to be brave for me?" she asked and he nodded.

"Sure, you didn't get the time to answer because Sirius came up hugging you" he said and she laughed.

"He looked close to crying!"

James sighed.

"What about it? The brave thing" he prompted and Lily sighed.

"I don't know who's being brave for me, I am I guess" she said shrugging.

James suddenly stopped pushing her and stopped her from swinging and walked in front of her. He knelt down and looked up into her eyes.

"There's always someone being brave for someone... I'll be brave for you" he murmured and she stared at him and smiled.

"Thank you, James. You're a good friend" she replied and he shrugged at her.

"Someone's got to be" he said with a wink.

She suddenly got up and walked over to the park bench and laid down on it and James followed.

"I guess this is where I'm sleeping" she said closing her eyes and James snorted.

"I don't think so; you're staying at my house".

Lily's eyes snapped open and she sat up and frowned at him.

"I don't think your mother would like that idea, she wouldn't want to go behind my dad's back like that".

James sighed at her and ruffled his hair.

"We won't tell her; what she doesn't know can't hurt".

"No, no and no. I'm not lying to her James; I work for her" she said glaring at him.

"I'm not letting you sleep on a park bench and you aren't going back there, that's the last thing you need right now" he said and she shook her head at him.

"I don't have any other choice" she said and James stared at her.

"You're staying at mine and that's final".

Lily's eyes met his and she stood up.

"Where would I sleep?" she asked and he rolled his eyes as if it was obvious.

"In my bed".

Lily raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'll sleep on the floor I promise" he said crossing his heart and she grinned.

"I don't like the thought of kicking you out of your bed but-"

"You don't get a choice in this" he interrupted and she exhaled loudly.

"Okaaay, but only because you won't let me sleep in my own bed" she said getting up and allowing him to cover them with the cloak yet again.

James carefully and quietly pushed open his window and pulled himself in by his hands. Once his feet hit the floor he turned back to find Lily already climbing up. Once she reached the window however, she paused.

"James are you sure? I mean I can go home if-"

"Just get in here" he told her impatiently and took her hand and pulled her in.

"I'll just sleep in that sleeping bag" he told her pulling it over beside the bed and Lily frowned.

"Why don't I sleep in that?"

James shook his head.

"There is no way I'm letting a girl sleep in a sleeping bag when my very comfy, king sized bed I might add is up for offer" he said with a cheeky grin.

Lily sighed and playfully hit him on the arm.

"You suck" she said climbing onto his bed.

"That's the thanks I get for giving up my cosy, snug as a bug king sized bed" he replied and she groaned.

"You're making me feel bad" she said grumpily.

He shrugged. "Stop complaining then".

She climbed in under the blankets and sighed.

"It is pretty comfortable" she admitted with a smile.

"I know I kind of miss it" he said with a smirk.

"Ja-"

She was cut off by the sight of James pulling off his t-shirt and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing" she replied and he flashed a knowing grin at her as he pulled off his jeans and was left standing there in his boxers. He threw them into a pile next to the door along with his shirt and turned to look at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked sitting on the end of his bed and watching her curiously.

"I'm fine" she said quietly avoiding looking at him.

He chuckled.

"If it makes you feel better I can put my shirt back on" he said and she shook her head.

"Like I said I'm fine".

He nodded.

"I bet... Tell me a secret" he said crawling up next to her and laying on his side facing her.

She raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were sleeping in your sleeping bag?"

"I am; I'm not ready to sleep yet. You owe me a secret".

Lily snorted. "I don't owe you anything".

"Pleeeeeease" he whined.

Lily sighed.

"Um... I've never snuck out before. Like, never ever. Not at Hogwarts, not at home. It feels weird though, like there's a part of me that's afraid my dad will find out, and then I'll be in even more trouble. But the other part of me loves it; it's different to what I usually do. It's like an adventure".

James grinned. "See I told you a night out with me would make you wonder who the-"

"Perfect Prefect Lily Evans is" she said with a smile.

He nodded. "Exactly. You should do it with me sometime at school, its way more fun" he said happily.

"And a lot more dangerous" she said and he shrugged.

"Like you said, it's an adventure. An epic one"

She grinned at him.

"It's your turn. Tell _me_ a secret".

James sighed and rolled over onto his back.

"Hmmm..."

"The one about why Sirius kept using the word 'bone' in almost all of his sentences" she added and James coughed loudly.

"Um... does it have to be that one?" he asked nervously.

Lily nodded eagerly.

"Now that you seem so edgy about it, yes".

James groaned loudly.

"This is probably one of the most embarrassing things I'll ever admit to you" he said closing his eyes.

Lily chuckled evilly. "Now I really want to hear it".

"Well... I don't want to lie to you Lily..."

"Just tell me! I promise I won't laugh" she said smiling at him.

He opened his eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" he said pointing at her.

She waited silently for him to continue and he sighed.

"Last night I kind of... had a dream" he said, his face already heating up.

"A dream? Sounds interesting" she commented and he frowned at her.

"Er... You were in it and we were um... Doing things we don't erm... Normally do" he admitted and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Like what?"

James' face went bright red at this.

"It was one of _those_ dreams".

Lily's eyes widened.

"Oh! One of _those_..." she said covering her mouth.

"And anyway Sirius woke me up because he heard me... never mind and-"

Lily rolled over and buried her face into the pillow giggling uncontrollably.

James groaned.

"This isn't fair..." he muttered.

"I bet Sirius gave you hell" she managed to say in between laughs.

"Yeah he did, even more so when I got off the phone with you" he said without thinking.

Lily suddenly pushed herself up and looked at him.

"What happened?"

"Shit! Um... nothing?"

"Jaaaaaaaames" she said and he stared at her in astonishment.

"Remus does that to me all the time! Except you do it much better than he does, but don't tell him I said that" James said trying to distract her.

"That's nice. Now tell me" she said and he let out a deep breath.

"I kind of... Got a boner when you mentioned you were having a shower" he said shamefacedly.

Lily had to use the pillow yet again to stifle her giggles.

"Oh come on! See I told you not to promise anything" he said and she sighed.

"Well I didn't think that would have quite an effect on you..." she sniggered and James glared at her.

"It's not funny!"

"You're right, it's not... It's hilarious!"

"Lily! See this is why I didn't want to tell you" he mumbled and she smiled.

"Why not?"

"Because you probably think I'm a freak or something" he said and she shrugged.

"I've always thought that" she said with a grin.

"Great... Now you probably think I'm some kind of perve".

"Well you did check out my legs" she said with a shrug.

"Hey you can't talk! Every time you see me shirtless-"

"Okay, okay... I don't like this conversation anymore" she said apprehensively.

"I didn't think so" he said and she sighed.

"Why me? Why did you have a dream about me?"

"I'm not exactly sure about that" he answered with a grimace.

"Do you find me... attractive?" she asked stretching out and he stared at her.

"I think you're beautiful, yes" he said and she rolled her eyes.

"I said attractive... And I meant it in _that_ way" she answered and he nodded.

"So what if I do?"

Lily stared at him, taken aback. The surprised look on James' face was evident in the stunned way he looked at her.

"Um... You look pretty" he said and she blushed deeply.

"Thanks... How many girls have you been with?"

James shrugged.

"I've never really had any steady girlfriends" he answered with a shrug.

"No I meant sexually".

"Oh!" James said with a dazed expression on his face.

"Um... a few" he replied uneasily.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"Define 'a few'".

He shrugged. "I don't know, six maybe" he said not meeting her gaze.

"I don't believe you" she said suddenly and he glared at her.

"Why not?"

"Because you wouldn't look at me when you answered my question, the way your voice sounded when you said a few sounded like you're lying. I thought you didn't want to lie to me?" she asked feeling hurt.

James looked at her for a second.

"I'm a... virgin" he muttered and she raised both eyebrows at him this time.

"I'm waiting for the one, okay? So it's... meaningful. I don't like to think of it as sex, I prefer the term 'making love'... Merlin I sound gay" he said blushing a deep, dark red.

Lily was still staring at him, lost for words.

"Say something... Please?"

She cleared her throat.

"Good for you, James".

He stared at her.

"That's it? You're not going to say I'm gay or queer or weird or anything like that?"

She shook her head.

"What's wrong with being a virgin? I am".

He shrugged. "The guys think that I have..."

Lily shook her head at him once more.

"You should tell them the truth; it's not good to lie to your friends like that" she said quietly.

"Do you know how much shit they'll give me?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, but it's better than pretending something happened that really didn't".

James sighed. "I guess... We should get some sleep, you look tired" he said getting up off the bed.

Lily stared at him, her eyes taking in his muscled body.

"There's nothing wrong with being a virgin James, I think waiting for that special someone is really sweet".

He smiled at her.

"Thank you. You'd better not tell anyone" he warned and she smiled.

"Your secret's safe with me. Goodnight" she said rolling over onto her side.

"Goodnight, Lily" he said getting into his sleeping bag.

He lay there for a few minutes, listening to her soft breathing before he too was succumbed by sleep.

Mrs. Potter awoke the next morning and got dressed and left her room. She was passing James' room when she stopped and remembered that she needed to ask him if he'd asked Lily if she would stay the night to make it easier on the family. She opened the door and poked her head in, his window unusually bringing in the sunlight. She looked at his bed and frowned deeply; Lily was sleeping there. A sudden movement on the ground alerted her to her son's presence and she noted that he was sleeping with a slight smile on his face.

She backed out slowly and closed the door quietly and made her way downstairs. James had a lot of explaining to do.

**A/N: Well there you have it! Lily's dad and Petunia FINALLY know, James' mum is all suss about James and Lily and the next chapter will hopefully be up soon! I'm going to Adelaide this week so I won't be writing but I'll definitely be having discussions in my head about what should happen next.**

**Thanks for reading people ;)**

**Love always,**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**Infinite x's and o's**


	10. Chapter 10

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To all my friends at school. They would have been very lonely at school since I haven't been there (I got Glandular Fever again) :( Thanks to them I wasn't behind very much on my work, I got most of it all done :)_

**Notes: **_Yes I recently suffered from Glandular Fever for the second time so I haven't been to the library in AGES to check my mail; I was crook so I didn't want to make anyone else sick too and I couldn't find the energy to go there. And I haven't written another chapter because I was busy with my school work (I have exams coming up next week) and I was trying to get better. So thankfully I had a faster recovery compared to the first time and hopefully after this time it goes away for good. Sorry about making you guys wait and thanks for reading and reviewing ;)_

_Chapter Ten_

James' eyes opened slowly and he squinted around the room tiredly. His bed seemed a lot taller than usual. Normally he'd be laying on it. Instead he was lying in his red sleeping bag... and that was when he remembered he had slept on the floor. He quickly sat up upon remembering Lily and looked towards his bed but found it empty. He frowned as he sat up and found a note lying on his bed. The note said:

_James,_

_Thanks for letting me stay but I need to get back before dad finds out I'm gone. I really appreciate this, you're a good friend. I'll see you later._

_Love Lily_

_P.S. Enjoy your shower ;)_

James shook his head as he remembered admitting his secret to her the night before and his cheeks went a slight tinge of red.

"Merlin I can't believe I told her... both things! She so owes me another secret" he murmured as he slipped a pair of trackies on and made his way downstairs. He entered the kitchen where his mother was making a coffee and he yawned.

"Morning" he mumbled and she looked up at him.

"Sleep well?" she asked and he shrugged.

"It was alright, I guess. Not too bad" he said sitting at the table.

"Sleeping on the floor wouldn't be that comfortable" she said, her eyes boring into his.

James stared at her and then she said; "Lily would have been comfortable".

He sighed. "Mum it's not what you think. I went to see her last night; I wanted to make sure she was okay. Keeping that secret from her family was driving her insane and I knew she-"

"You knew? She told you?" Katherine interrupted and James sighed once more.

"Yeah, she did. She was upset one day because she and Sirius had a little blew and I followed her and she told me. It was hard for her to do that but she trusted me and I talked to her for a bit about it. She really was just looking out for her family".

Katherine nodded and she too sat at the table across from James.

"I know that. Lily's a nice girl; if she wasn't trying to protect her family then she wouldn't be here. She got this job for them. But James, you should have asked first before allowing her to stay last night" his mother said and he nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just didn't think you'd let her. She needed to get away from there, I was just trying to help out a friend" he told her and she smiled at him.

"You remind me so much of your father. He would have done the same thing" she said and he shrugged.

"It seemed like the decent thing to do" he said looking at the table.

"Have you heard from dad?" he asked and she nodded.

"He owled me this morning, he's calling tonight" she said and he nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask. If there's ever a case like that again-"

"She's welcome here. But in the guest room" she said and he frowned.

"That's Sirius' room" he said and she nodded.

"I'm sure Sirius wouldn't mind-"

"I can't believe you're putting Lily in his bed. That's grose" he said and she sat there deep in thought.

"I wouldn't stay in his bed even if the sheets were changed" he added.

"Well Jessie can stay in my bed with me then and Lily can have her room. I'd best call her father and ask, I don't think the answer will be positive if she asked" James' mother said with a small smile and James nodded.

"She left before I woke up; she said thank you and she'd see us later" he said and Katherine smiled.

"I'd best get ready for work then; I left the toaster out for you" she said draining her cup and washing it out in the sink. She kissed the top of his head and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

* * *

Lily quickly pushed herself in through the window and closed it very slowly. She made her way slowly over to her bed and hopped in, making sure her back was facing the door. She was lying there for about three minutes when she heard a small knock on the door.

"Lily" her father said softly and she closed her eyes and waited for him to tap her lightly on the shoulder before opening her eyes gradually and squinted up at him.

"Hi" she said quietly and he sat beside her.

"I'm sorry I got upset with you last night, but you have to understand it from my view. I-"

"I do, dad I really do. I get why it made you upset and disappointed in me and I'm sorry. I just, I thought I was protecting you and Petunia from being hurt again. I missed you and I really liked having my dad back. We were just starting to feel like a family again" she said softly.

He nodded. "I understand that now. In future you don't have to do things on your own. We're a family and from now on we deal with things like that together, no matter what" he said smiling at her.

Lily smiled back at him.

"I love you, dad".

"I love you too, Hun" he said kissing her forehead and then he got up and made his way over to the door.

"By the way, you're un-grounded. But just remember in future-"

"Not to handle that sort of stuff on my own" she said and he nodded.

"Exactly. Now you'd better get up. You've got a job. I'm going to need to borrow the car today, I have a job interview. I was going to tell you last night but it didn't quite fit the moment" he said and she sat up and grinned at him.

"Dad that's great! I'm really proud of you" she said with a smile.

The phone began ringing and he sighed. "Thanks sweetie" he said before leaving the room. Lily pushed the quilt off of her legs and made her way over to her cupboard and pulled out a pair of light grey skinny leg jeans, a light blue long sleeved shirt with a hood attached to it and some bras and knickers and got changed into them. She then went into the bathroom and magically gave her hair some slight curls and then brushed her teeth before putting on some mascara and lip gloss. She went back into her bedroom and pulled out her black jacket that was nice and warm. It had a hood attached to the back of it and Lily made sure her blue hood was tucked inside and pulled it on and buttoned it up. The second it was on she felt instant warmth.

She pulled on a pair of long black boots and zipped them up and put a grey beanie on top of her head before grabbing her wallet from her bedside table. She was about to leave when her owl, Flick, suddenly tapped on the window causing her to jump. He held a frog in his beak and she hurried over and opened the window and he soared into the room and flew on top of the cupboard.

"Oh Flick, you gave me a fright" she said shaking her head at him. He just clicked his beak and began devouring his frog happily and Lily smiled and headed down the stairs.

Her father was still on the phone and he laughed and then when he noticed Lily he said; "Well I'll just bring her over now, I'm borrowing her car today so we shouldn't be long. Thanks Katherine, bye" he said and hung up.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's going on?"

"You're staying at the Potter's tonight. That was Mrs. Potter, she said they're going dress shopping for a friend's wedding and apparently you're going with James. Do you need money?"

Lily glanced at the jar on the fridge and saw that it was close to being empty.

"No thanks dad, I'm fine. But thanks anyway. I'm going to go pack a bag" she said heading back up the stairs. She sighed as she began putting some clothes and pajamas into a duffel bag and looked around the room for anything else. She saw her sketch book and decided to bring it along with her; she was going to make James and Sirius let her draw them.

She put that and her pencil set in with her clothes and zipped the bag and then carried it down the stairs and over to her father who was sitting at the table.

"All set?" he asked and she nodded, feeling her pocket for her wand.

"No... I er... Forgot something" she said racing back upstairs for it. She grabbed it out of her draw and pocketed it and then went back down.

"Okay, now I am" she announced and her father stood up and picked up her bag.

"Let's go, pumpkin" he said and she glared at him and he gave her a cheeky smile.

"Daaaaaad! You know I hate that name" she said and he nodded.

"I know that" he said smiling and grabbed the keys off the bench and left a note for Petunia. He then carried Lily's bag out to the car, ignoring her protests and they got in and reversed out and drove to the Potter's.

When they arrived Lily's father whistled slowly.

"Wow, now I see why you like to baby-sit here" he said and Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's not what it's about, dad" she said and he chuckled.

"I know, I know. I'm just stirring you. Have a good time, Lily" he said kissing her cheek.

"Bye dad, good luck today" she said kissing his cheek and hopped out and grabbed her bag out of the boot and he zoomed away.

She walked up to the door and knocked and the door was flung open immediately by Sirius.

"Hiya Lil! How's it going?" he asked taking her bag and allowing her inside.

Lily smiled. "Great! I'm officially un-grounded" she said with a grin and Sirius beamed.

"Excellent! I was worried you couldn't come to the wedding, or come over here at all" he said and Lily shrugged.

"Dad would have still let me come, but we sort of had a mutual understanding and it was all good after that" she said and they walked into the kitchen where the rest of the Potters were sitting.

"Hi Lily!" everyone chorused and she waved.

"Hi" she replied and Mrs. Potter stood up and walked over to her.

"How are you?" she asked and Lily repeated what she told Sirius.

"That's good news. I'll show you where you're staying" she told her and Sirius gave Lily the bag and they made their way upstairs.

"You're staying in Jessie's room, she's staying in my bed with me" Katherine said and Lily smiled.

"Okay, thank you. Um... Mrs. Potter I need to tell you something-"

"It's alright, Lily I know. You're welcome to stay any time you like. We're all family here" she said with a smile and Lily sighed.

"Thank you that means a lot to me" Lily replied and they sat her bag in Jessie's room and closed the door.

Mrs. Potter suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"I'm here for you Lily, if you need anything. Anything at all" she said with a warm smile and Lily smiled back.

"Same here" she said and Mrs. Potter shrugged.

"You're already helping me out enough as it is" she said as they walked down the stairs.

"I like to" Lily replied happily.

"And I'm sorry I've been so stressed out lately, Lily. I've been missing David" she said and Lily nodded.

"That's completely understandable. How is he?" she asked and Mrs. Potter sighed.

"He's fine. He's calling us tonight which the kids are looking forward to. He asked me to thank you for helping us out" she said and Lily shrugged.

"There's no need. You're both very welcome" she answered and they entered the kitchen. Jessie was sitting on James' lap talking a mile a minute and Lily caught Aaron's eye and he gave her a small smile which Lily returned.

"So what do you guys want to do today?" Lily asked and they all shrugged and Mrs. Potter smiled.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'll see you all tonight" she said and turned left and disappeared into thin air.

"I want to paint a picture" Jessie said and Lily thought she could seize the opportunity.

"Why don't we do a picture of James and Sirius?"

"Yeah!" Jessie said and hopped off James' lap and ran upstairs.

"What? No, Lily I don't think-"

"I'm going to go do my hair" Sirius said flicking it and headed off upstairs.

James sighed.

"Is this necessary?" he asked and Lily nodded.

"You bet" she said and Aaron stood up.

"Lily can I fly my broom?" he asked and Lily nodded.

"Sure, just not too high or the neighbours will see you" she said and he walked outside and Lily stood there thoughtfully.

"I think we should all go outside" she said and James nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea. You owe me a secret by the way" he added and Lily frowned at him.

"I do not" she replied and he nodded.

"Yes you do, I gave you two. The v-word one was a secret too" he said and a sign of recognition came across her face.

"Hmmm... I'll think of one" she said with a smile and he grinned.

Jessie came bursting into the room in a horizontal stripey blue and white shirt, black pants and a red barrette.

"I'm ready to paint" she said and Lily organized some paints for her outside. She then went back upstairs and grabbed her sketch book and pencils and passed Sirius in the bathroom who was making his hair shiny.

"Come on pretty boy, your hair's fine" she said and he chuckled and walked outside with her.

Lily set her drawing pad on the table and asked Sirius and James to sit across from her and Jessie who was already doing finger prints around the border.

"This is fun" Jessie said as she grabbed a brush and began putting some black messy hair onto her paper.

Lily smiled and then focused on her own and began drawing the outlines of the two boys. She then began adding more detail as Jessie dotted James and Sirius' eyes. Jessie then added what looked like Aaron flying around in the background and Lily smiled as she dated and signed at the bottom and Jessie gave her a confused sideways look.

"Why do you do that?" she asked and Lily shrugged.

"So you can prove it really is your work" she said and Jessie smiled and did the same.

"It's a masterpiece!" she said and they all laughed as she held it up for them to look at.

It was a very cute picture; James and Sirius were two stick figures with dots for eyes and Sirius' hair was very straight and James' was very messy.

"It looks like a Picasso painting" James said and Lily giggled whereas Sirius and Jessie just looked confused.

"Pablo Picasso is a famous artist. He did kind of abstract artworks" Lily informed them and they only looked more confused.

"Never mind" Lily said and Sirius shrugged.

"I feel like a banana" he said getting up.

"Anyone else?"

"Yeah alright" James said and Jessie claimed that she wanted a drink so she and Sirius both went inside.

"That's a great drawing" James commented and Lily blushed bright red.

"Thank you. You're a good subject" she said and he smirked.

"Thanks I guess. How long have you been drawing?"

Lily frowned as she tried to remember.

"Since I was thirteen... Or fourteen" she said and he nodded.

"You're an artist. If being a Healer doesn't work out you could be an artist" he said and her face went a darker shade of red.

"We'll see. Is your dad an Auror?" she asked and he nodded.

"The best. Well next to Moody and this new guy they've got, Kingsley Shacklebolt. They're really good. Moody's a bit well... They call him Mad Eye. That's because he lost his eye in a battle so he has this fake one that's really cool, it's magical. It can see through lots of stuff. Dad says he's gone a bit... Insane. Not really literally but he's pretty paranoid but he's at the top of his game. He's put a lot of bad people away, made some enemies though. And Kingsley, he's great. He's dad's right hand man at the moment they're away on business together. Kingsley comes around here for dinner sometimes and he and dad entertain us with lots of stories. And they have quite a few. Kingsley's only started out nine months ago but already he's awesome. And dad, he loves his job. He loves being able to make bad wizards pay for what they've done. He believes in justice. This one guy killed a little girl a few months back because her parents refused to join Voldemort's... crew. So when the three year old kid was outside playing he killed her. It was over before anyone could even think to stop it. But anyway dad caught up with him and now he's behind bars" James said and Lily grinned. With every word he spoke his eyes lit up and he seemed to not notice that he'd talked for five minutes straight while she sat there and listened.

"You really... know lots of stuff" Lily said and James laughed.

"Sorry, I can get a bit carried away. I've wanted to be an Auror just like dad since I was eight. It was a 'bring your kids to work day' and someone broke in and I watched as dad chased him down the hallway and they were throwing spells back at one another and I followed him. I was just a kid, I really wanted to watch my dad and then I saw two of them had him cornered so I ran up to them saying; "Leave my dad alone!" and they looked at me and I was so close to being killed right then. The guy was halfway through saying the killing curse when dad shoved him out of the way and it ricocheted off the wall and hit the other Death Eater. Dad stunned the other one and turned to me and said; "One day you're going to be the greatest Auror this world's ever seen" and I just stood there and looked at him with this little glint in my eye. Dad's my hero, he's everything to me" James said and Lily shook her head at him.

"That's a bit cute, James" she said and he blushed.

"Hey Prongs! Do you guys want a drink?" Sirius called out and James and Lily nodded.

"Yeah, why not?" James replied and then Aaron called out for one too so James yelled out to Sirius to get one for Aaron as well.

"So why do you want to be a Healer?" James asked and Lily shrugged.

"I've always been interested in healing people. Like, making them feel better. Even if it's just emotionally you know? Helping their day be a better one type of thing but I also like physically making people better" she said and he smiled.

"Well if I ever get hurt on the job I'll just ask for you especially" James said with a wink and Lily nodded.

"I think I could handle that. Just don't get injured too badly" she answered and he shrugged.

"I'll try not too but I can't make any promises" he said and she smiled.

"That's good enough, I'll take that".

Sirius and Jessie came out and Sirius was conducting the drinks floating along in the air with his wand and sat them on the table. Aaron flew down onto the ground and hopped off his broomstick and ran over to the table with it over his shoulder. He sat it on the grass and sat beside James and basically gulped down his drink and sighed.

"Thanks" he said and Lily frowned.

"Is flying around on a broom really hard work? I don't imagine it would be" she said and James, Sirius and Aaron gaped at her.

"Flying around on a broom takes a lot of strength! You've got to be able to hold your balance, show no fear when telling it 'up' like in the lessons in first year, you've got to be able to fly around without crashing into things and you need to know how to control the broom!" Sirius practically yelled and Lily looked taken aback.

Sirius breathed heavily, his breath coming out in huffs and James gave him a weird look.

"I thought what she said was pretty dodgy too but I wouldn't get that worked up mate" James told him and Sirius sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry Lily" Sirius murmured and she nodded.

"Its fine" she answered slowly, watching him closely.

Sirius looked at her and smiled.

"But Lily, seriously. Flying isn't just a sport. It's a lifestyle" he said making everyone at the table snigger. Jessie scratched her head and gave him a puzzled look.

"You guys, I'm serious! Flying is very important- Oh! You all suck!" he said as they all began laughing even louder and he crossed his arms and pouted.

"I'm going to Sera's. She appreciates my opinions" he said standing up and Apparating away.

Lily was the first to stop laughing and sighed.

"She'll make him feel better" she said and James groaned.

"She'll take his temperature and make him rest up in her bed with a washer on his head won't she?" Jessie asked and James and Lily stared at her.

"Of course she will! Sirius will be happy and better in no time" Lily said with a reassuring smile.

"I want to go to the park" Aaron said and Lily looked at James.  
"That could be fun" she said and he nodded.

"Sure! Go get changed into some other clothes Jess" he said and she got up and hurried into the house and Lily closed her drawing pad.

"Are you going to bring your skateboard, dude?" James asked and Aaron nodded.

"I have to ride it somewhere, I'm not allowed to inside" he said and James nodded.

"It's a bit dangerous, Aaron. Mum's right to not let you do that" James said with a shrug.

Aaron snorted. "Says you, you get that many letters sent home for being out late at Hogwarts. And a few times you've been caught in the Forbidden Forest" he said and James opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted.

"That is... irrelevant. Go put your broom away and grab your skateboard" James replied and Aaron got up giving his brother a satisfied smirk and hurried away over to the broom shed with his broomstick.

James sighed.

"Children are so hectic" he mumbled and Lily chuckled.

"At least you're not a baby-sitter. Trust me I've had to deal with kids a lot worse than these two" she said and he smiled.

"I feel for you, I really do" he said as they got up and cleaned the table and made their way inside.

"Jessie! Are you ready?" James called up the stairs and she came running down with Cindy Jane in tow. She was now wearing blue denim overalls and a short sleeved orange t-shirt. Her hair was in two messy pony tails and she grinned at them as she jumped the last two steps and fell on her knees.

"OW!" she yelled as she sat up and began sobbing.

"I w-want mum-mummy!" she wailed and Lily walked over and sat her on the bottom step.

"Shhh, it's alright Jess. Show us your knees" she said lifting her pants past her knees and they had a scrape on each knee.

"We can disinfect those and put some really cool bandaids on them" she said taking her into the kitchen. She sat her on the bench and James walked in behind her.

"Why is it that they always hurt themselves when you're around?"

Lily looked at him as she wiped disinfectant over Jessie's left knee and she winced.

"They know I'm a Healer in the making so they save it all for me to look after. Plus I don't think you could handle it" she said and James glared at her and she poked out her tongue at him.

"I could too. Once, Remus scratched Sirius' finger and Peter feinted so I had to deal with it. Then I put a pretty purple pygmy puff bandaid on him" James said and Lily chuckled.

"Why did Remus do that?"

James froze.

"Er... Time of the month?"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Remus is a boy, he doesn't get that" she answered and James laughed nervously.

"You'd be surprised... How do you know Remus is a boy?"

Lily shrugged.

"Well I assume he is... There'd be something wrong if he wasn't" she said wiping disinfectant onto Jessie's other knee.

"Ouch" she mumbled and Lily smiled at her.

"I'm sorry Jess, I forgot to mention it might hurt a bit" she said and Jessie shrugged.

"James could you please get me two bandaids?"

James sighed and hopped off the chair he was sitting on and walked out of the kitchen calling out to his brother.

Aaron hurried into the kitchen and saw Jessie on the bench.

"What happened to you?" he asked stealing James' chair.

"I fell over" she said sadly and Lily ruffled her hair.

"You'll be fine, it's not life-threatening" she said and Jessie gave her a small smile.

"Here's the bandaids" James sang walking back over to her. He passed her the box and Lily gave Jessie the choice of a pygmy puff or a hippogriff.

"Both" she said and Lily put the pygmy puff on the left and the hippogriff on the right.

"Can we go now?" Aaron asked and Lily nodded and helped Jessie off the bench.

"Let's skiddadle" James said and Jessie giggled as he took hold of her hand and they closed and locked the front door.

* * *

"Uhuh. I miss you too Daddy" Jessie said into the telephone later that night.

"Yes... Really? So that's 21 sleeps... That's a long time" she mumbled sadly.

"Wow! That's cool! I'll let Aaron talk now. Bye Daddy, I love you" she said blowing a kiss into the phone and passed it to her brother.

"Hi... Good. Are you getting lots of baddies?"

Lily chuckled as Aaron stood there next to the phone and Jessie stood on the chair and leaned over trying to listen to their conversation.

"I really thought Sirius would have been home by now..." James said and Lily hinted disappointment in his voice.

That was when the door opened and Sirius came walking in holding Sera's hand.

"Sera, this is Lily. Lily this is Sera" he said and Lily smiled and waved.

"Hi, how are you?"

Sera shrugged.

"I've been listening to him whine all day" she said and James smirked.

"Not feeling the best then?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I feel like Pizza" Sirius said and James' eyes lit up.

"Yes... Yes I'm feeling it too... Lily, did you bring the automobile?"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"My dad had a job interview today so he dropped me off and took it with him" she said and he sighed.

"It looks like we're walking" he said and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"We?"

James grinned at her and took the phone that his little brother was holding out to him.

"Hey dad... Yeah I'm great; we're just debating over pizza... Yeah, Lily and I are going to have to get it though, they don't do deliveries on Monday nights..." James looked away from the phone at Lily.

"He says hi" he said and Lily smiled and told him to say "hi" back.

"We haven't decided yet. So three weeks?... That's great news. Mum misses you... Yeah so do I, it's just really obvious she's feeling lonely... She's taking the day off so we can go shopping for Peter's mum's wedding... Yeah, they're looking at dresses and Sirius, Aaron and I have the excruciating pain of having to wear dress robes..."

Lily laughed at the face Sirius pulled and James looked back and his face returned to normal.

"Let's discuss toppings" Sirius said grabbing both Lily and Sera's hands and pulling them into the kitchen.

"I want-"

"I want cheesy! Really, really cheesy!" Jessie exclaimed and Sirius frowned at her.

"I was thinking of Supreme... But you won't eat everything on it. Maybe supreme for the boys, and the girls?"

"Hawaiian... With lots of cheese" Lily said and Sera gasped.

"I was totally going to say that!" she said and Lily chuckled.

"Hawaiian it is then... and two Supremes" Sirius said rubbing his stomach.

"Two?"

"Yeah, one for me and one for James. We're growing boys, not anorexic chicks" he said and earned two slaps, one from Sera and the other from Lily. Upon seeing this, Jessie said; "MY TURN!" and Sirius bent down and she tapped him on the face.

"Thanks Jess, at least you're nice enough to do it softly" he said rubbing his cheek.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"You so deserved it and you know it" she said and he shrugged.

"PADFOOT! Dad wants to talk to you!" James called and Sirius skipped out of the room and James walked in.

"So pizza? Any decisions?" he asked rubbing his hands together.

"Two Supremes, one for you and one for Sirius and a Hawaiian with extra cheese for us four" Lily informed him and he nodded and grabbed some money from a drawer in the kitchen.

"Alrighty, jot that down and we'll get going" he said and Sera passed Lily a pad and a pen and she scribbled it down.

They said goodbye and made their way out of the house and along the sidewalk.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked and she nodded.

"I'm fine, I have my jacket" she said pulling it tighter and he smiled.

"It looks great on you".

Lily blushed.

"So... Do you want a secret?"

James nodded. "You bet".

"Aaron smiled at me today and it made my day so much better, even better than it already was. When I first started here I sort of... I felt like he hated me and getting to know him and seeing him smile at me makes me so happy. I'm just glad it's not weird with us anymore" she said and James noticed a big grin on her face which began creeping onto his own face.

"I'm glad for that; it makes it easier for us. We don't have to hear him saying you're going to up and leave every day" he said and she chuckled.

"I'm not going anywhere, unless you want me to. But I guess I've only got a few weeks left here anyway..."

The smile slipped off her face and James frowned at her.

"What makes you think that?"

She sighed.

"Well your dad's coming back, so your mum won't have to go to work anymore so you guys won't be needing me" she said sadly and James stopped her.

"Hey, you listen to me. Mum's going to stay at work until we all go back to Hogwarts, she doesn't want you to leave just because dad's coming back. I don't ever want you to feel like we don't need you around anymore, you aren't going anywhere" he said and her eyes glistened with tears.

"Really? Because I really want to stay with you, you guys mean a lot to me" she said as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey come here. Its okay, you weirdo. You're staying and that's that" he said and pulled her into a tight hug and her chin rested perfectly against his neck. He closed his eyes as her breath hit his neck and rubbed her back soothingly. She pulled back and kissed his cheek and he smiled at her.

"Thank you, James. I'm sorry, I always cry when you're around. I hate you seeing me like this" she whispered and he laughed.

"I don't mind, I'm just glad I can help" he said giving her a wink.

She smiled and noticed his eyes glance at her lips and then quickly look back at her eyes and she began walking again and he caught up with her.

"So are you excited for tomorrow?"  
Lily nodded happily and said; "I can't wait to see you in dress robes, really frilly ones" she said smirking and he glared at her.

"You promised that you wouldn't laugh at me..." he said and Lily nodded.

"I did but you said at the wedding. You didn't say I couldn't before that" she said and he shook his head at her.

"Fine then, you can laugh tomorrow but if I hear one giggle..." he trailed off and let her imagine what he'd do to her if she did.

"Tell me a secret" Lily said with a smile.

"Ha! I told you two last night. You tell me one" he exclaimed and Lily shook her head.

"I don't think so, I went first last night so it's your turn again, James".

He sighed loudly and then looked at her.

"You looked really nice last night. I mean, you always look nice don't get me wrong it's just that you looked... a lot more dressed up last night. You were pretty" he said blushing insanely and in turn Lily's face went red as well.

"Um... thank you. It was Alice's shirt, she let me keep it" Lily said not meeting his eyes.

"It suited your eyes" he said and Lily chuckled.

"You thought I looked sexy" she said and he smiled at her.

"I wasn't lying" he said making her face go even darker.

"Look at you, all embarrassed" he said and Lily pushed him.

"Stop or I'll punch you" she answered and he stood still and raised his arms.

"Go on, try it" he said and she shook her head.

"I'm not doing it" she said and he grinned.

"Do it, do it, do it" he chanted and Lily shook her head once more.

"No, I don't want to hurt you" she said and he lunged at her, grabbing her from behind and holding her close to him.

"Hurt me? Ha! I'd like to see that" he said and she tried to twist out of the hold but he was too strong.

"Alright, alright you win! You win" she giggled and he released her and she turned to him.

"You're a meanie" she said and he smiled at her.

"Nawww poor wittle Lily" he said and she poked her tongue out at him.

"Tell me a secret now" he added and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"After you were being mean? I don't think so" she said and he sighed.

"I'll buy you a Chocolate Bavarian" he promised and she grinned.

"Well now you say that it changes everything" she said and he nodded happily.

"Great, so secret then?"

"Um... I liked that your mum was okay about me staying. I actually thought she'd be annoyed at me" she said and James smiled.

"I thought she'd be pissed at _me_, but I explained it and she was fine with it. She understood" he told her and she beamed at him happily.

"I'm glad for that, I really respect her opinion of me" she replied and he nodded.

"I noticed. Want another secret?"

Lily's head bobbed up and down quickly and James chuckled at her.

"Weeeell... I can't wait to see you at the wedding. It's going to be exciting. Seeing you all dressed up in a pretty dress" he said and she sighed.

"I don't think I'll be getting a dress, I don't have any money" she said sadly and looked at the ground.

"I'll change that" he said and Lily stopped suddenly and grabbed his arm, causing him to stop next to her.

"What?"

"You're not buying me a dress, I won't let you" she said and he frowned at her.

"Lily, I'm buying you a dress whether you like it or not" he answered and she glared at him.

"I'm not a charity case, I don't need-"

"I know you aren't, I've never thought of you in that way. I just-"

"Then why? Why do you want to buy it for me?" she interjected and he shrugged.

"'Cause every pretty girl deserves a pretty dress" he said winking at her and she blushed slightly.

"James, you can't. I can... borrow one of Alice's" she said and he shook his head at her.

"You're doing me the honour of going as my date, so therefore I'm going to do you the honour of buying you a dress" he told her and she groaned.

"I don't... James I don't feel comfortable with that, I'd feel bad" she said as they began walking again and turned the corner.

"Lily, I care about you. And I know that you're going to try on a beautiful dress and you're going to be shattered because you won't get it. But if I-"

"Promise me James. Promise me you won't pay for the dress" she said and he stared at her with an annoyed expression.

"Lils-"

"Promise me" she interrupted and he glared at her.

"That's not fair" he said and she just shrugged.

"Just promise".

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Okaaaaay. I promise I won't pay for your dress" he said sadly and hung his head.

She smiled at him and touched his harm softly.

"I'm sorry James, but it's the only way" she whispered and he shrugged.

"You'll regret it" he responded and she sighed and they crossed the road and entered the shop.

* * *

The minute they got home everyone was waiting in the kitchen for them. Sirius almost pounced on them; Jessie and Aaron were chanting "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" and Sera was setting out plates for them. James sat the food on the counter and called for silence.

"I got garlic bread as an extra and- DON'T TOUCH THE BAVARIAN!" James yelled at Sirius hurried over and pulled it from the bag.

"Why not?" he asked pouting as he put it down on the bench.

"Because it's Lily's, that's why" he answered and Sirius pretended to sulk.

"We can all have some afterwards" Lily said and Sirius' head sprang back up and he was now smiling.

"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" the chanting started again and James sighed and pulled out the boxes and Sera placed glasses out on the table for each person and filled them with orange soda.

"Alright, one at a time" he said and Sirius flew in straight away with Lily waiting at the back and James came behind her.

He leaned forward, his lips just brushing her ear.

"You didn't have to do that" he whispered quietly and her eyes closed and she inhaled slowly. The feel of his lips moving quickly against her ear tickled and her reply was caught in her throat.

"I... I don't mind" she replied quietly and he grinned and she felt it spread across his face as his cheek bumped her head.

"That's very kind of you" he muttered, his lips still making her ears tingle.

All she could do was nod and his smile widened, knowing the effect it was having on her.

He was about to say something else when Jessie and Aaron's yells interrupted him and he moved forward to see what it was about.

"He stole my piece that I wanted" Jessie said angrily and James sighed.

"Did you call for it?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"I thinked it in my head" she responded and he had to stop himself from laughing.

"Jessie you can't expect Aaron to know that if you don't say something, and even if you did it's not your turn yet" he said and Jessie crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him. Aaron took his plate over to the table and Jessie began grabbing hers and James turned to Lily and smiled at her but she kept her eyes to the floor. He stepped out of the way so she could get hers and then followed her over to the table and sat next to Jessie across from her. She didn't look at him for the entire meal and kept her eyes to her plate or on anyone but the messy-haired boy watching her closely.

After dinner, Jessie decided to watch a movie and Lily set up bowls for desert and let her and Aaron take it into the lounge room as long as they were careful. She, Sirius, Sera and James all sat in the kitchen talking and eating chocolate Bavarian.

"So Lily how long have you and James been dating?" Sera asked licking the back of her spoon.

Lily's clattered to the table and she embarrassedly picked it back up.

"Um... We aren't. I'm just the baby-sitter, we're only friends" she replied and Sera raised her eyebrows.

"Really? Friends?"

She nodded and noticed what felt like a foot rest upon hers and she glanced at James' face and caught him staring at her with a smirk on her face and she moved her foot and looked back at Sirius' girlfriend.

"How long have you and Sirius been together?" she questioned and the two looked at each other and grinned.

"Three amazing months" she said and Lily smiled as they gave each other a small kiss. James pretended to throw up in his bowl and made the red-head giggle.

Sirius then suddenly yawned and Sera placed her hand on his lap.

"Tired?"

He nodded slowly. "Being so beautiful all the time can really take it out of you" he said and James scoffed.

"You mean so fugly" he said and Sirius gasped.

"How could you say such a thing? You know I look good" he said getting up and taking his and Sera's bowls and putting them in the sink.

"Yeah, in your head" James retorted and Sirius rolled in his eyes.

"Coming to bed?" he asked and James made a disgusted face.

"That's the last thing on earth I'd want to do with you, and I would never, ever do that and I cannot believe you suggested-"

"I was asking Sera, numb nuts" Sirius shot back and James fell silent.

Sera pushed her chair in and smiled and together they bid them goodnight and traipsed up the stairs.

James turned to Lily and beamed at her.

"So, good pizza or what?"

She nodded slowly.

"I liked it. But personally homemade pizzas are so much better... and healthier" she added and James shrugged.

"It doesn't kill to have some greasy stuff every now and then. Do you want to check on the kids?" he asked and she nodded and they both walked into the lounge room where they found Jessie and Aaron snoozing away on the couch with smiles on their faces.

"That is so cute" Lily whispered and James nodded in agreement and picked Jessie carefully up in his arms. She didn't even stir.

"I'll put her to bed. Do you want to wake Aaron?" he asked and she nodded and shook him lightly.

"Aaron? It's time for bed" she said quietly and his eyes opened slowly and he yawned.

"Hi Lily" he mumbled and she smiled.

"Let's go kiddo" she said and he hopped off the couch and held his hand out to her and her heart almost melted as she took hold of it and they followed James and the sleeping Jessie upstairs. He took her into his parent's room and Lily and Aaron continued on to his room.

She opened the door and he made his way in and she pulled back his quilt and he hopped in. He then did something that took Lily by surprise: he hugged her.

"Goodnight Lily" he said and she had to fight to keep the tears back.

"Night Aaron, sleep tight" she managed to say and then she closed the door and turned to find James waiting for her.

"What's the matter?" he asked in alarm and she sighed as her eyes sparkled.

"He... He hugged me" she said in a low voice.

James grinned at her and then he too pulled her into a hug.

"Nawww, that's a bit cute" he said and she smiled into his chest.

She pulled away and looked up at him.

"He actually likes me, he trusts me" told him happily and James nodded at her.

"Of course he does, who wouldn't? You're like, the nicest person I know next to Remus and Peter" he said and her cheeks went a crimson colour.

"Thank you" she said quietly and he grabbed her hand.

"Come and look at this" he said pulling her into his room and he turned on the light and brought her over to his CD player.

"It plays music" he informed her and she stifled a giggle behind her hand and he frowned at her.

"What's funny?"

"Um... CD players are Muggle objects so I know what they are" she answered and he shrugged.

"I forgot about that. Pick one" he said holding out a collection of CD's.

Lily saw a Savage Garden one so she pointed to it and James put it in and pressed play and it began to quietly play the soundtrack.

_I wanna stand with you on a mountain,_

_I wanna bathe with you in the sea._

_I wanna lay like this forever,_

_Until the sky falls down on me..._

Lily smiled as the song played and he watched her carefully.

"You like this song?"

She nodded and then suddenly her smile was replaced with a puzzled expression.

"I thought you were into 'noisy music' like your mum says" she said and he shrugged.

"I like Savage Garden too though" he said as he began to sing along to the music, the whole time staring at Lily.

He was standing very close to her and her eyes slowly glanced down at his lips and realised they were very close to her own.

She then looked into his eyes and he was staring at her with a small smile on his face and his eyes darted down to look at her lips before quickly snapping back to her emerald eyes.

He licked his lips as he slowly leaned in closer until he was just inches from her mouth and she sucked in a huge breath. He was just about to touch her lips with his when he heard the front door close and he let out a sigh and shut his eyes. They stayed there for a moment, not moving, not saying a word until James re-opened his eyes and she found him staring at her once more.

"Lily, I..."

She stepped back from him.

"We agreed to be friends. Aaron trusts me James, I can't do that to him" she said sadly and he nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't bring you in here for that, I swear. I was just looking at you and..." he stopped talking because he could no longer find the words and she sighed.

"It's okay, I just... Your mum's home, we should go see her" she said quietly and he nodded again.

"Yeah, of course. Can we pretend it-"

"Never happened? Sure" she cut in and he gave her a small smile.

"Great. Um, well let's er skiddadle then" he said leading the way out of the room and she followed close behind him.

They found Katherine standing in the kitchen eating a slice of pizza and she looked up and smiled at them both.

"Hi guys, how'd it go?" she asked and they each waited for the other to reply. When it was clear no one was going to answer, they both spoke at the same time.

"It was fine" Lily said at the same time James said; "Yeah, good".

Katherine frowned and watched them for a moment before deciding to let it slide.

"Kids in bed?"

"Yeah, we put them in about ten minutes ago" James mumbled.

"James are you alright?" his mother asked and he nodded.

"I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed, night" he said turning and leaving the room as quickly as possible.

Katherine looked at Lily who shrugged.

"He's just a bit stressed, I guess. I might go to sleep too; we'll be up early right?"

She nodded and smiled. "I'll wake you up. Goodnight Lily" she said and Lily said goodnight and went up the stairs towards Jessie's room.

As she passed James' room she stopped and considered asking if he was alright and not to worry about it and that he was just caught up in the moment once again and that nothing would change between them. They were still friends after all. He meant a lot to her.

She decided she'd let him cool off until the morning and instead went into Jessie's room and changed into her pajamas and almost fell straight to sleep.

* * *

James' hazel eyes opened slowly and squinted as he tried to block the sun from his eyes. He rolled over and buried his face into the pillow as the memories of last night came flooding back to him. How could he be so stupid? He didn't want anything to ruin his friendship with Lily, it was important to him. But after last night she probably wanted to steer clear of him. She wouldn't want to be his friend anymore if he was going to try and kiss her every time they were alone.

Technically it had only happened twice, and it wasn't like their lips had even touched so it shouldn't really be that awkward between them. But if he knew Lily he was sure that this time she would avoid him until the issue was resolved. And he didn't want to be the first to try and fix it so until then things were going to be weird. Very weird.

He sat up and kicked his blankets off of his body and leapt up from the bed, running his hand through his bedraggled hair making it even messier. He opened his door and walked out into the hallway and made his way to the bathroom and waited outside for a minute or so because someone was using it. The toilet flushed and the door opened and out walked Lily in a light grey singlet and long green pyjama bottoms and she froze. Her hair was all over the place and a deep red blush crept up her neck onto her face as she took in the fact that he was scantily dressed.

"Hi..." he mumbled quietly forcing himself not to stare at her for too long.

"Hey. Did you have a good sleep?" she asked nervously and James shrugged.

"Can't complain. How was yours?"

Lily wrapped her arms around herself.

"It was fine. A bit small though" she added and he nodded.

"Great. Well, I'd better-"

"Right, sorry" she said moving out of the way of the door frame and letting him pass.

She walked back down the hallway to Jessie's bedroom and closed the door behind her and got dressed.

She pulled on a white singlet and a light grey long sleeved shirt over top so you could just see her singlet poking out the top. She then pulled on her long, denim skinny leg black jeans and her black converses slipped onto her feet. She then waved her wand and her hair was slightly wavy and put her black beanie on top of her head and she was finished, the only thing left was to brush her teeth and apply her makeup but that would have to wait until after breakfast.

She made her way downstairs and saw Mrs. Potter fixing pancakes for breakfast and she rushed over to help.

"Good morning, sweetheart" Mrs. Potter greeted happily and Lily smiled and began to pull plates from the cupboards.

"How was your sleep?" she continued before Lily could reply.

"It was nice, I never thought of myself as tall though" she said and both she and Mrs. Potter chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but James didn't like the idea of you being in Sirius' bed and it would have been difficult to force him out of it" she told her and Lily nodded.

"Where are we going today?"

"Oh, just a few dress shops in Diagon Alley, shouldn't be all day" she said and Lily smiled sadly although Mrs. Potter overlooked it because James entered at that moment dressed in blue denim jeans and a white singlet, his hair a mess and glasses askew. He straightened them up and attempted a smile at Lily and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"Morning James. Are you feeling better?" she asked and James shrugged.

"I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to today. Trying on dress robes isn't exactly my idea of fun" he said dryly and his mother laughed.

"You'll be fine. Not to mention very handsome in your brand new robes" she added cheerily.

"You're certainly bright this morning" Sirius commented strutting into the kitchen with Sera close behind. They were dressed accordingly in colours although Lily wasn't sure if that was planned or not. Sirius was wearing a black t-shirt and dark grey skinny leg jeans that were even tighter than Lily's. His hair was, as always, as sleek as ever and he had a purple armband around his wrist. Sera on the other hand had a grey singlet and purple leggings with a black mini skirt.

Lily stifled her giggles and noted that James had also realised this because the smirk on his face seemed as if he too was struggling to keep his laughter to himself.

"You two look like twins" Aaron said walking in beside him and looking them both up and down and guffawing at them.

"Aaron" his mother warned and he ignored her and sat himself at the table, pulling a jug of juice towards him and pouring himself some apple juice.

"Mummy, I can't find my furry pink scrunchie!" Jessie wailed from upstairs. Her mother sighed and dashed out of the kitchen, forgetting about the breakfast.

"Shoot! Lily could you take over down there for a minute please?" she called over her shoulder and Lily sat the plates on the bench to attend to the pancakes on the stove.

"I'll take those" James said grabbing the plates and they slipped from his hands and crashed to the floor in pieces.

"Shit" he muttered to himself and bent down to pick them up.

"Are you daft? Use your magic stick, and no, not the one in your pants!" Sirius shouted at him and James felt his pockets swiftly for his wand before realising he'd left it upstairs and cursed once more.

"Here" Lily said whipping out hers and pointing it at the broken plates. _"Reparo!"_ she said and the plates all meshed back together as if they hadn't been dropped in the first place.

"Nice" Aaron commented and Lily smiled at him and helped James pick up the plates.

"Thanks" he said quietly and placed them on the table. Aaron pulled out knife and forks and passed them to him and he added those.

"We should get some nice flowers, just to make the table look nicer" Sera suggested and Sirius nodded.

"Prongsie? Do you think you can transfigure something?"

James grinned and grabbed an old wooden spoon they no longer used.

Lily passed him her wand and he smiled at her.

"I don't think you'll get anywhere without one" she told him and he chuckled.

He waved his wand at the spoon and uttered some words and right before their very own eyes a beautiful array of yellow daisies were held in his palm and everyone applauded and he bowed.

"Now if my humble assistant would assist me in getting a vase...?"

Aaron leapt from the chair and grabbed one from the cupboard under the bench and filled it with water and sat it in the middle of the table so that James could sit them in there.

"Wow, they're so pretty" Sera gushed excitedly. "I wish I could do something like that..." she trailed off sadly.

"With plenty of practice-"

"No, Lily, Sera's a Muggle" James interrupted and her emerald eyes widened.

"Oh, really? I had no idea, Sera I'm really sorry" she said and Sera shrugged.

"It's okay Lily, I'm actually a little better knowing you thought I was one" she told her with a smile and Lily nodded and turned back to the breakfast still feeling bad for opening her mouth.

Katherine came back in with Jessie who had found her furry pink scrunchie and was going to take over but Lily insisted for her to sit down and she dished it up. Sirius was about to dig in but she slapped his hand.

"We don't have any dressings out yet" she said and pulled jam, marmalade, butter and chocolate spread out of the cupboards. James grabbed sugar and cups and together they sat them on the table and sat down beside one another, the only seats left.

James handed over her wand and she pocketed it with a "thank you", Katherine complimented James on his flowers and then they all tucked in hungrily awaiting the day ahead. For dress shopping was definitely something they all looked forward to, in one way or another.

**Well until next chapter, audios! **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, I loved all of your reviews. I hadn't checked my emails in a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time so it was pleasant to be welcomed back with hordes of them. It made me happy.**

**Once again sorry for not updating but I have been busy with recovering and catching up on all my work and now studying with my exams and trying to squeeze a chapter in there, so it's been a bit hectic.**

**But hopefully it shouldn't be too long until the next chapter. Possibly during my holidays which are a few weeks away.**

**Love always.**

**Lily****Hearts****James xoxox**


	11. Chapter 11

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To all my reviewers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Such positive responses made me feel very, very happy :) You guys rock!_

**Notes: **_After what happened with James and Lily last chapter I was even worried myself about how it would affect them. And how it would affect you guys, and myself. I kind of... Get really personal with my stories lol they hold really special places in my heart, as do the characters. Usually if I get a bad review I take it to the heart and get really shattered, that's how much they mean to me. A couple of years ago someone took the first chapters of APON & AVON and put them on a site with horrible writers and really bagged it out. Admittedly some of the gags were funny, but they kind of hurt me too and I was pretty upset about it. But I guess that's what you get for googling your fanfiction name out of curiosity to see how many things regarding it would come up. So advice to all you guys; DON'T Google your fanfiction name and be proud of your work because after you see what I saw was written I got a bit self conscious and started believing in what the people had written. But I know now to just believe in yourself and if you like what you write, how you write and if your readers like what you write then the criticism doesn't really matter._

_Ok I know that was pretty random. But you know how you just smash out a bit of writing without really thinking and it just happens? Yeah well I had one of those moments. Anyhoo, on with the chapter._

Dress shopping wasn't as terrible as James had originally thought it would turn out to be. It was kind of fun in a weird, insane kind of way. He got to watch his mother be dragged around to look at dresses left, right and centre by a very excited Jessie who had an ecstatic grin upon her face. He got to see Sara pointing out dresses she liked to Sirius who would comment with either, "too long" or "your boobs would look great in that" with a bored expression.

Lily however was standing off to the side, looking at a selection of dresses and pulling them out and giving them quick once overs. He sighed as he remembered how awkward everything was that morning, and things hadn't got any better. They barely spoke as they sat together on the train, Lily talking animatedly with Sara about the classes she took at Hogwarts with Sara hanging onto every word.

Aaron came out of a change room with a sullen look on his face. He glowered as their mother hurried over and began straightening everything on his brown dress robes and fiddled around with the white, frilly cuffs. He leaned against the wall tiredly and his mother scolded him. James chuckled as his brother rolled his eyes and stood straight and was made to spin around so their mother could see his robes from every direction.

"James, Lily what do you think?" she asked turning to them with a raised eyebrow.

"He looks dashing" James said giving her 'the Potter Grin'.

"Don't smile at me like that, you're your father through and through" she said swatting at him.

Lily glanced at James' smile as she walked over and her heart began to flutter instantly. It was sort of lopsided, like a cheeky sort of smile. Not a full smirk but a genuinely defiant grin. She caught him staring at her and she quickly averted her eyes from him feeling slightly embarrassed.

"It's nice; although the brown with the white looks a bit..."

"I was just thinking the same thing!" Katherine announced and walked over to the sale assistant and asked her opinion on what colour she would put with it.

"Why do I have to wear brown? It's the same colour as poo!" Aaron grumbled and James shook his head at him.

"The thought of you wearing something the same colour as your turd disgusts me" he told him causing a giggle to escape Lily's lips.

He glanced at her and offered a smile and she gave him a small one back before turning away. He sighed and Aaron frowned.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked in an undertone as Lily walked off to look at more dresses.

James shook his head.

"She's just not herself today, that's all. I'll talk to her, don't worry" he said following her.

"That would look great on you" he whispered into her ear as he saw her pull out a short green and black dress with spaghetti thin straps and a zip on the front. Lily almost dropped it as she started and turned to glare at him.

"James, you gave me a fright" she murmured and he smiled and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention. I promise".

She nodded and turned back and placed the dress back on the rack

"You aren't going to try it on?"

She shook her head and sighed.

"I can't afford it. Anyway, Alice said she'd lend me a dress".

"I think you should try it" he told her and she glanced up at him.

"Why's that?"

"Because I know it'll look awesome and... because I feel like a prick for last night" he added and she dropped her eyes to the ground. He quickly pulled her chin up to face him and she flinched and he smirked.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to kiss you. That was wrong of me to jeopardise our friendship like that and I promise you I didn't mean for it to turn out like that. I hate how it's weird between us now, I don't like feeling awkward, especially around you" he said softly and she stared up into his hazel eyes and almost melted at the sight of them sparkling at her. She ignored it and sighed once more.

"James, I-"

"Why do I get the feeling you don't want to be my friend anymore?" he asked miserably.

Lily gaped at him.

"No! It's not like that at all, I swear! James, look at me" she said pulling his body towards her by the front of his singlet.

"I don't ever want you to think that, okay? You'll always be my friend, one of my best friends even. I couldn't give up on our friendship even if my life depended on it. I'm sorry I'm being weird I'm just... I don't want to screw this up. Not with you, or your mum or with Aaron. Especially him because he's only just started to trust me, he opens up with me a lot more now. And Jessie is so gorgeous, I couldn't be without her and Sirius and Remus and even Peter matter to me now..."

He looked down at her and a smile spread across his face.

"I'll tell you what. You go put on that pretty dress for me and we'll forget it ever happened. Deal?"

A smile overcame her face as she nodded slowly and turned to find her dress size and walked over to the change rooms. James sighed happily as he leaned against the wall and grinned, waiting for the redhead to come back out.

"Oooh, I hope you're not imagining how quickly you could unzip that dress and rip it off her body" Sirius' voice said quietly so as not to be overheard by Jessie who was trying on dress after dress nearby.

He chuckled. "Do you honestly have to say something like that? It's not the first thing on my mind, unlike yours" he replied and Sirius smirked.

"So if it's not the first then it's definitely in your mind somewhere?"

"Go away" James answered in an annoyed tone.

Sirius walked away triumphantly and James shook his head until a throat clearing cough alerted him to Lily's presence.

James turned around and his jaw almost dropped.

The dress fit her body perfectly; he couldn't believe how nicely it was fitted around her curves. It even made her breasts stand out, which made James force himself to ignore otherwise he'd be in trouble. Most of all it matched her eyes, the emerald of her eyes and the jade of the dress contrasted pleasantly together. It was a short dress, but not too short so that her underwear would be visible if she bent over; James couldn't stand it when girls did that.

She stood there awkwardly, sitting her hands in the pockets on the side of the dress.

"So, what do you think?" she asked nervously and he cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah, good. It's... It's great. I think you should get it" he said swallowing hard and smiling at her.

She sighed and turned away, looking in the mirror. He could see from the way her eyes roamed over the dress that she loved it, they were bright and so full of happiness as she looked at herself from all angles; James had to admit it made her bottom look nice too, although it always was. Not that he noticed or anything...

"I can't get it" she said miserably and this time his jaw almost crashed right into the floor.

"What? Why not?"

Lily looked at him and he saw sadness now inhabiting her eyes.

"I... I just can't" she said and he grabbed her arms and made her look at him.

"Tell me, please?"

She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I can't afford this dress. And it sucks because I really, really like it" she said and she opened them and saw them grinning at her.

"I could get it for you" he offered and her eyes darkened and she shook her head furiously.

"Don't you dare! I'm not letting you buy me this dress, no way" she told him turning away from him and heading back to then change room.

"Lily, please! Just-"

She closed the door, locked it and began to get changed back into her other clothes and James sighed.

"I want to" he told her and he got silence.

"Lily, please-"

The door was opened and Lily stood there staring at him, dressed now with the dress on the coat hanger.

"James I really appreciate it but Alice said she would lend me one so-"  
"But this one-"

"Is better suited for someone with the money" she told him and put it back on the rack.

He sighed and followed her back over to the others.

"Lily, listen to me-"

"James I like that you're generous, and kind but I don't want you to buy it for me; I'll be fine. Alice's dresses are just as nice, you'll see".

"Alice's dresses aren't that one" he told her and she turned to face him.

"I'll live. Now help me find something for Jessie, she can't make her mind up" she said heading over to the small girl who had a selection of dresses in front of her.

"They're all so pretty" she said to Lily who came up behind her and ruffled her hair.

"I know and they'll all look great on you. Which one is your favourite?" she asked and Jessie sighed.

"Um... the pink one" she said picking up one that had two shoulders and pink fluff around the bottom of the dress.

"It's sort of like your hair tie" Lily told her and Jessie nodded.

"Mummy said I could wear that too" she mumbled but she didn't look satisfied.

"What's up Jess?" James asked and his sister let out a huge sigh.

"I like this one too" she pointed at a plain white dress with shoulder straps and pink and blue butterflies were printed on it with silver wire as an outline for them.

"Wow, that one's pretty. You'd be the most beautiful girl at the entire wedding" James exclaimed and Jessie blushed.

"Even more then Peter's mummy?"

"Even more than her, and she's supposed to be the most beautiful one of all" he promised with a wink.

"More than Lily? Because Lily's very pretty" Jessie added in an undertone and James grinned, glancing at Lily before turning back to his sister.

"Of course you will be" he whispered and she beamed at him.

"Mummy, can I please have this one?"

Katherine made her way over with an expression that clearly showed she was thankful Jessie had finally made a decision.

"James said that I'm going to be the prettiest at the wedding" she told her mother who threw an appreciative look at her son who smiled.

"He even said I'll be prettier than Peter's mum, but shhh 'cause it's her day" Jessie mumbled so that no one else could hear her. Katherine laughed quietly and took Jessie into the change room to take off another dress while James and Lily put away the ones she didn't want.

Sirius waddled over with Sera behind him and stood right in front of them.

"You were looking pretty suave before Lillian" he commented with a smirk and Lily smiled at him.

"Thanks; have you decided on what you're getting?" she asked out of curiosity.

He nodded and showed her a long bottle green pair of dress robes that weren't frilly and weren't ghastly looking.

"Very smart, you'll be the talk of the 'event' for sure" she told him and he flicked his hair back over his shoulder and winked.

"Do I get to dance with the prettiest girl at the event?"

"YES!" Jessie squealed running over and beaming at him. "James said I'll be the prettiest" she told him proudly and Sirius raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, did he now? That was quite nice of him" he said frowning at James who looked puzzled.

"What have I done?" he asked and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Nothing at all. Sera and I are going to get ice cream, care to join?"

James was about to agree when his mother stepped in.

"He hasn't got dress robes yet" she said and James' eyes widened.

"With all due respect mum, I think I should go with Sirius and Sera" he said charmingly and she smiled at him.

"I don't think so. You can go and get ice cream with Lily after we find your robes. Do you mind taking the kids?" she asked turning to the other two.

Sirius sighed but Sera nodded eagerly.

"Of course, I'm sure they'd like ice cream too" she said taking Jessie's hand and waving goodbye.

Sirius winked once more at Lily who waved and left with Aaron demanding a caramel fudge sundae with maltesers.

Lily's stomach rumbled and James chuckled.

"Don't worry, this won't take long" he promised and Lily grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the dress robes section with a grimace on his face.

An hour later, James and Lily were sitting outside an ice cream shop each with brightly coloured ice creams. Lily's was rainbow and caramel mixed together with miniature sized m&ms and cookies and cream topping whilst James just had strawberry with raspberry sauce and sprinkles. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at Lily's choice but she ignored him, licking away at it happily which put memories into his mind about his dream. He shook his head and continued eating, forcing himself not to think about it.

"So much for not long" she said with a smirk and he rolled his eyes.

"So it took a little while, but at least I got half decent dress robes and don't look like a total dick in them" he responded and she nodded thoughtfully.

"I guess so. Your mum seemed happy to finally get all you kids out of the way" she said chuckling and James grinned.

"She needs to focus on herself more, she always put herself last when it comes to us" he mumbled and she put her hand on top of his.

"That must be where you get it from then" she said with a smile and he shrugged.

"I'm alright, I 'spose" he answered blushing slightly.

"Since when do you go red in the face?" she asked taking her hand back and ruffling her hair slightly.

"Since you complimented me... That was a compliment wasn't it?"

Lily laughed at the unease look on his face as he watched her worriedly.

She nodded and he sighed with relief.

"Well thank Merlin because it'd be awkward if you didn't" he told her and she shrugged.

"You would have gotten over it, eventually" she said and he smiled at her.

"You really are an odd sort of person, I mean, look at your ice cream choice for example" he replied and her eyes widened.

"What was with that random insult? And that's only one example and you can't base your opinion on just one" she added and he rolled his eyes.

"Another one? You didn't get that dress which clearly states that you are clearly senile" he said and Lily groaned.

"Okay number one; I'll live and number two; you can't use the word 'clearly' twice in one sentence, you really should broaden your vocabulary".

"Hey! Are you saying I'm dim-witted?" he exclaimed and she shrugged.

"Only slightly" she responded and he sighed and shook his head at her.

"Tell me a secret" she told him and he frowned.  
"Do I really have to?"

She nodded. "Of course you do, now spill".  
James bit his lip thoughtfully while Lily ate her ice cream and his hazel eyes glanced at her and he opened then closed his mouth without saying anything.

Lily was about to encourage him when he finally spoke.

"As much as I really regret last night, I'm really glad we're okay again. I don't want anything like that to happen ever again, I can't lose you" he mumbled averting his eyes, his voice strangely strangled as if he was struggling to admit that.

Lily tilted her head to the side and raised her hand, lifting his chin to meet her eyes.

"You could never lose me. I like you James, you're really important to me. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

He sighed, his face unable to conceal the smile that was forming on his face.

"At least a thousand more?"

She laughed and said; "You could never lose me. I like you, you're really important to me... times a thousand" she finished and he chuckled.

"Smart arse. I know you aren't going anywhere, I was just scared that... that things wouldn't be the same" he said softly and she smirked at him.

"I doubt that could happen, I won't let it" she promised holding out her pinkie finger. "I'll pinkie swear you".  
James grinned at her and held out his smallest finger and they entwined them together.

"Deal. So... How's your dad?"

Lily sighed happily.

"I really think he's going to be okay. We'll all be okay. I mean, he had a job interview yesterday, he seems so much happier than before and it finally feels like we'll be a family again" she said quietly smiling to herself.

"That's great; I hope he gets the job" he replied and Lily saw a worried look flash over his face.

"I'm not going anywhere James, unless you guys force me out" she said softly and he shrugged.

"Whatever, I mean, I knew that..." he said not looking at her.

"As if!" she said hitting his shoulder and he glanced at her.

"Okay so I guess I was a little worried..."

Lily rolled her eyes and threw her empty ice cream cone into the bin.

"That was nice" she commented and his eyes scrunched up in revulsion.

"Don't look so repulsed, it was awesome" she said and he too threw his own out.

"It didn't beat mine though" he answered contently and they stood up and began walking down the street pushing and shoving another playfully.

"I'll race you to that waterfall" James pointed out and Lily raised her eyebrows at him.

"I think we can be a bit more mature than that" she replied and she shrugged.

"Bring it Evans" he said taking off suddenly that she almost yelled in surprise.

"Hey! I'll beat you Potter and you know it! Cheater!" she called after him and chased him in pursuit.

After stopping and waiting for her to catch up to him and carrying her over his shoulder the rest of the way, Lily and James bumped into Remus who ended up taking Lily to get a few drinks with the others while James went to go see if his mother was okay.

Lily sat in the booth next to Remus and Sera and watched as Sirius talked his way out of paying ten sickles for a jar of Butterbeer and managed to swindle it down to five sickles and carried it back to the table joyfully and set it down in the middle of the table.

"How'd you do that?" Lily asked out of curiosity and he shrugged nonchalantly.  
"I gave her a fake number" he said under his breath and waved at the barmaid who batted her eyelashes at him.

He turned back to see Sera glaring at him and he gave her a cheesy grin.

"It's alright sweetheart, you're the only one I'd give my real number to" he said and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You're such a pig, now she's going to think you actually have an interest in her and feel disappointed when she realises it's not your number" she answered, raising her nose in the air.

"Hey, who said I'm not interested?" he asked indignantly, a smirk playing on his face.

"Hmpf" she said, crossing her arms and turning to Remus and Lily and engaging them in conversation.

Sirius sighed and looked around the room and a grinned slid across his face.

"HEY HAGRID!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and the half giant who was the Grounds Keeper at Hogwarts looked over and waved with a large hand.

"Ello Black" he said tripping over as he made his way to their table.

"How are you?" Sirius asked and Hagrid sighed and sat down at the table, breaking the chair as he did.

"It's alright! It's alright!" he reassured the barmaid who looked at him with an alarmed expression and he just settled for the floor.

"Ello Lily, Remus and... You" he said acknowledging Sera with a nod.

"Hi Hagrid" Lily and Remus said in unison and he waved, almost knocking Sirius sideways into another table.

"Hagrid, this is my girlfriend, Sera" Sirius introduced and Hagrid reached out and shook her hand, her hand disappearing once it met his.

"Hello" she said smiling at him kindly.

"How's things?" he asked the table at large and they all shrugged.

"Can't wait to go back to school" Remus replied and Sirius sniggered while Sera fidgeted around in her purse.

"Argh, Hogwarts isn't too bad, Dumbledore won't be there for the next few months but" he said with a shrug.

The three all gasped with Sera looking slightly confused.

"What! Why?" Lily asked with surprise evident in her voice.

"He's on a special mission" he said watching them all intently with his beetle black eyes, his beard tangled with what must have been Fire Whisky.

"Mission? Like what?" Sirius asked nosily and Hagrid shook his head.

"Can't say. He only trusted me and the head of houses with the information" he said throwing out his chest proudly.

"It must be a pretty important mission" Lily pressed on and Sirius winked at her.

"Yeah, I'd have ter say it is, what with You-Know-Who gallivanting 'round trying ter' recruit members inter his gang, if that's what he calls it" Hagrid murmured before looking up with fear evident in his eyes.

Lily and Remus' eyes widened but Sirius frowned at him and Sera got up and mumbled to Sirius that she was going to the bathroom and he smiled and nodded and turned back to the conversation.

"So are you saying that-"

"Dumbledore's trying to form his own followers" Remus interrupted and Hagrid shushed him loudly, glancing around over his shoulder.

"No one's supposed ter' know but me and the head's of houses" he mumbled, his face going red.

"He's right though isn't he? Isn't he Hagrid?" Lily asked and Hagrid sighed.

"Of course he's right" said a voice behind them and James was standing there with a smirk on his face.

"You really ought to lower your voices" he added squeezing in between Remus and Sirius and winking at Lily.

"Ello James, how're you?" Hagrid said in a bid to try and distract them from the topic.

"I'm great, thanks. Mum's just taking the kids home and I told her we'd be home later" he said and Lily's eyes widened.

"I'm supposed to be baby-sitting" she said rising out of her chair but James shook his head.

"Mum's given you the day off, she insisted" he said and she slowly lowered back to her seat.

"Are you sure? I can go-"

"Don't be silly, Evans, stay and have a drink" Sirius said and she sighed and poured herself a glass of Butterbeer.

"So, Hagrid. You were saying? Dumbledore's building up an army isn't he?" James mentioned and Hagrid moaned.

"Why do I get myself inter this mess?" he asked himself shaking his head.

"Come on, spill" Sirius egged him on and Hagrid remained tight-lipped.

"I'm not sayin' anythin' else" he said stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well if Dumbledore's starting an army than I want to fight" James said bravely and Sirius grinned at him. **(A/N: Who does this remind you of? ;D)**

"Excellent, James! I'm in too!" Sirius added and they high fived. Remus smiled fondly at them and nodded.

"As do I" he said and Lily shook her head and sighed.

"Someone has to look out for Muggleborns" she said and the boys all hollered loudly and banged the table happily, her face going crimson.

"Yer' not joining it, it's only for older, more experienced witches an' wizards" Hagrid said grumpily before clamping a hand over his mouth.

"So he's definitely trying to then?" James asked with an evil, triumphant smirk.

Hagrid shook his head violently making his shaggy black hair bounce all over the place in tangled nots.

"I'm not sayin' anymore. You aren't ter' go round blabbin' 'bout this ter' anyone, hear me?"

James, Lily, Remus and Sirius all nodded in agreement and grinned at each other.

"We won't" James promised and Hagrid sighed.

"Well I best be off, got ter' feed Fang" he said getting up and Lily crinkled her nose.

"Who's Fang?" she asked and a smile overcame the half-giant's face.

"He's my pup, I got him off a bloke at the pub las' night" he said happily. "Won him in a bet, yer' see" he added winking at her.

"What kind of dog is he?" she asked curiously.

"A boarhound, he's only six weeks old, he's just a little feller" he said proudly.

"That sounds nice" Lily told him with a grin on her face and they all waved and said goodbye before turning back to each other and closing in tightly to discuss the situation.

"Dumbledore wouldn't be recruiting if he knew Voldemort wasn't a problem" James murmured and they all nodded and Lily flinched slightly and James frowned at her.

"You don't say his name?" he asked in surprise and Lily shrugged.

"Alice doesn't like it when I do so I've kind of gotten used to not hearing it or using it" she said and James shook his head at her.

"Mum uses his name but doesn't like it being mentioned in the house because of Jessie and Aaron, they're only young and could get scared" he informed her and she nodded.

"That's fair enough though; I mean you can't expect them to not be afraid of everything he does" she said, her eyes darkening.

Sirius sighed and said; "Voldemort's obviously getting stronger, it'll only be a matter of time when dear old Regulus joins his crew" he said enigmatically.

No one answered; they sat there awkwardly wondering how to change the subject when Sera came back with an annoyed look upon her face.

"Can we go? I've got to meet my mum in twenty minutes for a facial" she said, directing it at Sirius who frowned.

"Um, sure I guess so. I was planning to stay longer but it's fine" he said getting to her feet and she rolled her eyes.

"Bye" she said to everyone else and left in a hurry and Sirius told them he'd see them later and followed her out.

Remus sighed and stretched his arms before he too stood up.

"I'd best be off too, I'm helping Peter with the wedding finalisations later" he said shaking his head.

"Is that a bad thing?" James asked and he shrugged.

"The tension between his mother and soon-to-be stepfather is quite er... intense" he murmured and they chuckled.

"Well good luck with that and have fun" James said with a smirk and he grimaced at the before putting on his coat.

"I'll probably see you all at the wedding" he said giving Lily a kind smile and heading out before they could convince him to stay.

Lily sighed and glanced at James who slid over closer so that they weren't so far apart.

"So what do you want to do today? We have the whole day to ourselves" he told her, beaming.

She shrugged and said; "Surprise me".

"Tell me a secret and maybe I will" he said with a wink and she sighed.

"Ummmm... Last night I had a um... a dream" she mumbled and James raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, okay, cool. What was it about?"

Her face was bright red as she stared at the ground, her face almost matching her hair.

"Well it was... one of _those_ dreams" she whispered and his hazel eyes widened.

"Oh! Oh... Wow... Was I in it?"

She nodded shamefully and didn't dare look up at him but he tilted her chin upwards.

"That makes us equal" he said with a smirk and her eyes narrowed.

"You're making fun of me!" she exclaimed and he chuckled.

"Well to be fair I really want to be rolling around busting my guts out on the floor considering how much you laughed at me when I told you about mine" he replied with a nonchalant shrug and she sighed.

"Now I feel like an idiot" she responded sadly but he shook his head at her.

"Don't, it's completely natural. All teenagers go through that stage when they have dirty dreams" he said with a reassuring smile.

"But I'm baby-sitting your brother and sister and we're just friends" she said in an undertone and he shrugged.

"You're only human, Lily. Don't worry about it, your secret's safe with me" he said winking at her and she blushed.

"So how was it?" he asked with a cheeky smile and she glared at him.

"Let's go" she answered and he sighed and followed her out of the pub and down the alleyway to disapparate away to the Potter's.

"Why don't we go-"

"I told you Lucius! I don't want them to get away this time; they only just slipped out of our fingers last time" a high, cold voice hissed and James stopped suddenly and clapped a hand over Lily's mouth and pulled his cloak out at the same time. He threw it over them and ensured they were completely hidden before moving further down the alleyway, his hand entwined with Lily's. There were two men behind a giant bin, both in black cloaks pulled low over their faces so that they were barely recognisable. Lily frowned and tried to edge closer but James pulled her back with a meaningful shake of his head.

"My Lord, I apologise. They will be captured very, very soon. I hear something is coming up and it will be impossible that they will not be there! Once they are onside-"

"They are going to be difficult to try and recruit and ah... change their views" the cold voice answered and Lily glanced at James with a questioning glance whose expression matched her own.

"We will figure something out, surely we can manipulate and blackmail them" the man named Lucius replied and the other man stood there staring at him.

"I suppose... Dumbledore and his so called 'Order of Phoenix' lot aren't going to make this easy" the other responded bitterly.

"My Lord, perhaps we could... force them to do our bidding" Lucius suggested and the other man chucked cruelly.

"Very well. If worst comes to worst, we shall. You have my permission" he murmured before glancing around him suspiciously.

Lily caught a glimpse of his face; it was bright white, as if he's never even seen the sun and his eyes were dark, so dark she couldn't see his pupils. He was obviously a tortured man, but a very powerful one at that. She wasn't sure what it was, Déjà Vu maybe, but she'd seen this face before, in her dreams as a young girl. She'd always been scared of that face as it stared into her own eyes and a green flash of light always woke her up; but it hadn't bothered her in years but seeing it now pricked up the hairs on her neck and she tried to back up into the wall but got her foot caught on an unstable part of the ground and almost tripped, causing James to grab her quickly before she could give away their presence but he was too late; her shriek of surprise alerted the men and just as the owner of the cold voice was about to raise his wand, James took Lily's hand and spun left and the sickening feeling overwhelmed them and they were out of harm's way.

"You could have gotten us killed! Do you have any idea who that was?" James demanded as he stormed down another alleyway stuffing his cloak into his pocket.

Lily caught up to him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop and face her.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen, it was an accident!" she exclaimed and he sighed, breathing in and out slowly.

"That was Voldemort, and from the sounds of it Lucius Malfoy... They know about Dumbledore's army and by the sound of it they're trying to gain some new members... This can't be good, I've got to tell Dad" he said more to himself than anyone else. He looked up at Lily and sighed.

"I'm sorry it's just that we're so lucky we managed to get away when we did, otherwise we wouldn't be alive right now" he said and Lily stared at him intensely.

"Thank you" she whispered and he smiled.

"Don't mention it... Oh no! Lils don't cry" he said pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her.

Her face was resting on his shoulder as tears streamed down her face.

"It was stupid of me! I shouldn't have moved but-but I remembered his face and-"

"You've seen him before?"

James pushed her away and looked into her eyes, holding her at arm's length.

"When I was little I had all these dreams where he was staring at me and then all this green light flashed everywhere and the next thing I know I'm awake and shivering..." she murmured and he watched her closely with a puzzled expression upon his face.

"You don't have them anymore?" he asked and Lily shook her head, tears still rolling slowly down her cheeks.

James sighed once more and smiled at her.

"Hey, it's okay. We're alive, that's all that matters" he reassured her and kissed her forehead and she nodded and wiped her tears.

"We'll talk to dad and make sure he lets Dumbledore know what we saw, they're pretty close those two" he said as they began walking down a lane way with his arm around her shoulders.

**A/N:**

**Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be soon.**

**Eh, bad news. For me anyway.**

**My dog Rocket, you may remember his name mentioned in previous dedications is gone. He was a sheep dog and kept getting off his chain all the time and killed/mauled our sheep and their babies so after the many chances he was granted dad put him to rest... AND I DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE! It broke my heart and I'm not happy. He meant everything to me. So I don't know how I'll be with updates. Sorry this is late but I've been dealing with so much crap. But I guess that's life.**

**Signing off now.**

**Loving you all (and missing Rocket Eugene Travers),**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**REST IN PEACE, buddy! xoxox**


	12. Chapter 12

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_Rocket Eugene Travers, R.I.P my BEST friend. I love you so much, I miss you more than words can ever express. Lots of cuddles and kisses, HGHT. Xoxox _

**Notes: **_Exams, funerals (not for Rocket) wrestling tour, school and family issues. Its life, I can't stop any of it from happening and I try my best to update regularly. Give me a break, dammit. _

* * *

A high, cold laugh erupted through her ears as deep red eyes bored into hers. All she could think of was that she had to protect something from this man, he was a threat to her and she couldn't let up no matter what. It was a matter of life or death and she felt a sense of protection and a necessity to shield whatever it was that was so precious to her, whatever it was that he craved so much.

A flash of a blinding green light blasted from the tip of his wand directly at her and hit her in the chest and her eyes snapped open as she sat up in her bed with tears pouring down her cheeks.

She felt her chest where the spell had hit her and her green singlet was the same as it was when she first went to sleep. There was no breakage of the skin, no penetration of any kind and no evidence that she had actually been hit by the spell. Her forehead was beaded with sweat as her excessive panting and the adrenaline pumping through her body made her realise she was afraid. There was something wrong with this dream. It was familiar, yes, but the man in it wasn't. He did not look like the same man she had seen in that alleyway, his eyes were red and his nostrils were just slits in his skin, almost snake like the way his tongue licked his cheek vastly.

She glanced around her room and caught sight of herself in her new mirror. Her usually white face was pale and chalk-white, like the man from her dream (if you could call him that). She swung her feet over the side of her bed and walked over to it, staring at her reflection; reassuring herself she still had red hair and green eyes. Her hair was damp from her sweat so she grabbed a hair tie and put it up into a ponytail and let out a huge, relieving intake of breath. It was just a nightmare.

But in a creepy way, it seemed much more real than it had when she was younger.

"Lily?"

James frowned as he watched the redhead stare out of the kitchen window in a dream like state as if she wasn't even there. The plate that she had been drying for five minutes was still being wiped excessively, rubbing noises beginning to grow louder from the friction between the plate and the tea-towel.

"Lily!" James shouted and she shook her head and turned to him with a puzzled expression upon her face.

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?" he asked walking towards her looking worried.

She shrugged.

"You remember I told you about those dreams when I was little?"

He nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I had another one last night... But it was different. It was the same dream, but the man in it didn't look the same" she murmured sitting the plate in the cupboard with the others.

James stared into her eyes intensely, waiting to hear more and she glanced up at him.

"His skin was really white but with a tinge of grey, and his veins were really visible pulsing under his skin. It was like he was really, really tortured and had lived a hard life. His eyes... His eyes were red, like bright red glowing with malice and evil but they were like cats eyes, the shape of them. His nose was just slits under his eyes, almost snake like. I've never seen that before" she whispered and James' eyes scrunched up in thought, his nose wrinkling up.

"Apart from that, was everything exactly the same?"

She nodded slowly. "I was trying to protect something that he wanted. He was craving it so badly, the burning desire to gain access to it radiated off of his body but I wouldn't let him. It was like it was the last thing I had left and I had to do everything in my power to look after it and keep it from him..." She stared out of the window again and sighed.

"The wedding is tomorrow. Are you looking forward to it?" she asked hastily changing the subject and James shrugged.

"I guess, but I'm not too thrilled about the dress robes" he replied pulling a funny face and making her giggle.

"Have you picked out a dress from Alice yet?" he enquired curiously.

She shook her head. "Nope, I've got to do that tonight. I'm staying the night at hers and coming back here in the morning" she answered and he smiled.

Sirius made his way into the kitchen, his shoulders drooping and a dull facial expression in place of his usual charming smile. He slumped onto a kitchen chair and sighed loudly.

"Why is life so unfair?" he asked out loud and the other two said nothing, unsure if he was just musing to himself. He made it obvious he was directing at them as he glanced up at them expectantly.

"Uh... Because it's the way it is. It's how the world works" James responded with a slight smile and shrug of his shoulders.

Sirius sighed yet again and began picking at the kitchen table.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" Lily questioned and he looked up at her gloomily.

"Sera dumped me" he admittedly dejectedly and flopped forwards onto his arms, hiding his face from the other two.

Lily was shocked and didn't know what to say, James raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" he asked and Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes.

"Because she's sick of the differences between us. I'm magical and she isn't and she's jealous. She feels as if she isn't special like I am and that I deserve better and I'm going back to Hogwarts soon" Sirius replied miserably and Lily moved towards him and patted his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sirius" she said softly and he placed his hand on top of hers.

"I have never been dumped before in my whole entire life. No one's ever broken up with me! Is this how you felt when that John guy ditched you?" he asked Lily who seemed taken aback.

"Um, not really. You see we only went out for about a week in fourth year" she said and Sirius groaned.

"I'm the one who breaks up! I do the dumping, not the other way around!" he exclaimed and pouted his lips.

"Padfoot, are you more sad about being dumped or actually Sera breaking up with you?" James asked frowning at him.

Sirius looked up at him.

"I don't know. Our relationship has been different since we were talking to Hagrid. Remember she went all... Quiet and left to go to the toilet?"

Lily nodded and sighed.

"She seemed like something was bothering her."

"She was feeling left out. We were all a big part of something that she had no idea about" Sirius answered and Lily smiled reassuringly at him.

"There's plenty more fish in the sea" she told him with a slight shrug and he stared at her.

"But... I liked Sera, she was nice and funny. She was a good kisser, good in bed-"

"Okay, eww bad images. Look mate, you just need to get back out there and try again-"

"No. I don't want another relationship" he interrupted and James sighed.

"So you have one, it fails and you hide yourself from more?"

Sirius thought about it and nodded. "Sounds like a good idea" he added as an afterthought.

Lily sighed and pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back.

"Whenever I'm upset I like to eat chocolate" she said pulling back and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Chocolate hey? Well do you mind whizzing down in your automobile and getting me some?"

She smiled. "Of course not" she replied and he grinned.

"Can I come with you?" James asked and she frowned.

"What about the kids?"

"Just because I got D-U-M-P-E-D doesn't not mean I am incapable of looking after Jessie and Aaron" Sirius answered and Lily chuckled.

"Sorry. We'll see you soon" she said winking at him and checking her pockets for her wallet and keys.

She turned and began to walk out of the kitchen and James followed her closely.

"This is very nice of you" he commented and she blushed.

"Well he was sad and I feel bad for him, he's taking it harder than I ever thought Sirius Black would" she responded and James chuckled.

"I don't know what he's more upset about though" he said and she grinned.

"Probably both, it must be so devastating getting dumped for a change."

"Remus is going to meet us at the wedding, he's going with his parents" he mentioned as they got into the car and put on their seatbelts.

"He didn't get a date then?" she asked and James shook his head.

"With his condition I don't think he's willing to" he answered without thinking.

"What condition?" Lily asked worriedly and James froze.

"Um... He has this... Um crazy obsession with... shoes" he covered quickly and laughed nervously.

Lily raised both her eyebrows and started the engine.

"With shoes? Remus? Right..." she said backing out of the driveway carefully and cautiously.

"It's weird I know. Anyway he's afraid chicks might think its weird and they tend to stay away from him because of it" James lied and Lily frowned.

"What's wrong with liking shoes?"

"He's a guy, Lily. People think he's gay" he said and Lily rolled her eyes.

"And is he?"

James shook his head. "No he isn't, he just really likes shoes" James said and she nodded and continued driving down the street.

"That's fine then, I don't mind" she replied and James leant back into the seat with a relieved sigh.

* * *

That night Lily and James sat on the couch watching T.V. and Jessie sat in front of them. Lily was braiding her hair and she talked animatedly about how she wanted to be in Ravenclaw House like her mother.

James shook his head.

"Ravenclaw is for nerds and squares. Gryffindor is for the bold and brave. Any of those two houses and you'll still be a part of this family" he told her and she frowned at him.

"What happens if I'm in Slytherin?"

James stared at her.

"Slytherin is a house full of people who think they're better than everyone else. They are mean spirited people and they don't care about anyone except for themselves. They are dirty, rotten cheaters who-"

"James!" Lily butt in and he cleared his throat.

"Right, sorry Jess. You won't be. Generations of our family have been in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, except for a few who got into Hufflepuff but that's not so bad. Hufflepuff house has very kind people, but aren't exactly very bright" he said and Jessie nodded.

"Okaaay. Would Daddy be mad if I got in Slytherin?" she asked and James stared at her for a minute before answering.

"I don't think he would, he would still love you. But you're a good person and I know you won't get into Slytherin" he said smiling at her and she beamed.

"Hey" Aaron said entering from the kitchen and sat next to Lily on the couch.

"Hey Aaron, what have you been up to?" Lily asked him and he shrugged.

"Just reading comics and looking through photo albums, nothing special" he replied kicking back and stealing the remote off James and changed the channel to cartoons.

"Hey!" James protested but Aaron stuck his tongue out at him.

"Where's Sirius?" Jessie asked and James looked at his watch.

"In bed, he said he wanted an early night" he answered frowning at it.

"He's sad isn't he?" Jessie directed at Lily who sighed.

"He's not very happy at the moment so he went to bed to try and get a good night's sleep" she explained and she nodded.

"Because of Sera?"

"Yeah it is. It just wasn't meant to be" James answered for her and Lily nodded and Aaron heaved a giant sigh.

"I guess we won't be seeing her again..."

There was silence until Lily jumped up and said; "Who wants a chocolate and Milo milkshake?"

There were three yeses and pleases in return and she bustled into the kitchen to begin making them.

James followed her in and grabbed the ice cream from the freezer and smiled at her.

"Remember the last time we had milkshakes?"

Lily smirked.

"Don't you mean remember the last time you tried to kiss me?"

James' face went red and he cleared his throat.

"I was referring to our milkshake fight but um... I'd better get the, er, topping" he said hurrying over to the fridge and Lily chuckled.

"Avoiding me, Potter? Anyone would think you're embarrassed" she told him smugly and he glared at her.

"Yeah well, I didn't know what I was doing! I was caught up in the moment" he mumbled grabbing the blender.

"Twice apparently" she replied and the smirk returned to her face and James sighed.

"It's not my fault you're so beautiful and it dazzles me" answered smoothly and she blushed crimson and rummaged through the draw for an ice cream scooper.

He was laughing now.

"Avoiding me, Evans? Anyone would think you're embarrassed" he repeated and she was the one glaring at him.

He simply smiled a lopsided grin and her heart began to beat incredibly fast as he tilted his head to the side.

"Lost for words?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"You wish" she responded and he chuckled lightly as he ruffled his hair making it messier than it already was.

The milkshakes were made and taken into the lounge room where the children were watching the T.V happily, both talking about the cartoon that was being displayed.

"Okay guys, you've stayed up past your bed time so once you've finished those it's bed time" Lily told them and they nodded and took their drinks with thankyous.

"I can't wait for tomorrow! Lily are you going to get ready here with us?"

Lily smiled.

"I'm getting ready at Alice's but then I'm going to be here. She's got some dresses that she's letting me borrow".

Jessie sighed sadly.

"Okaaay... Am I allowed to bring Cindy Jane?"

Lily looked at James who shrugged.

"If you look after her really good and don't lose her, and if it's alright with mum" James told her and Jessie did a little happy jig.

"I want to dance with someone at the wedding... Do you think anyone will want to?" she asked and James smirked at her.

"Oh I don't know... I mean, I could ask Remus if you like" he suggested offhandedly.

Jessie's face brightened up and Lily stifled a giggle behind her hand and Aaron pretended to throw up behind her.

"Really?"

James cocked his head to the side.

"Or, you know, I could always dance with you" he said joyfully and Jessie frowned.

"I can dance with you any time" she replied and James looked a bit hurt.

"Why don't you dance with Remus and then James?" Lily advised and Jessie thought it over.

"Okay!" she said and slurped on her drink.

Lily leaned over towards James and whispered; "Best for last" in his ear and he beamed at her.

"What are you whispering about?" Aaron asked suspiciously.

"I was just saying that we should find you someone to dance with, too" she said and Aaron scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Me? With a _girl? _They have cooties!" he exclaimed indignantly and James rolled his eyes.

"No, dumbo we were going to get you to dance with a guy" he said smirking cheekily at him.

Aaron frowned. "I'm not gay, James" he said and downed the rest of his milkshake and stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Night guys" he said walking over to the kitchen before he turned around.

"Thanks Lily!" he called over his shoulder and they heard the clunk of him sitting his cup in the sink and then raced up the stairs and Lily told him it was ok. He waved on his way up and then disappeared and Jessie passed James hers.

"I'm full but it was really yummy. Thank you Lily" she said smiling happily at the redhead who jumped up.

"Want help getting into bed?" she asked and Jessie nodded and grabbed her by the hand and together they left and hurried up the stairs.

James drank the rest of Jessie's and then continued sipping his own, mesmerised in the T.V. while he waited for Lily to come back.

His eyes began to twitch and he yawned loudly and stretched out on the couch, sitting his cup on the table.

He just got comfy when his eyes started drooping and the next thing he knew was someone whispering in his ear.

"You should wake up".

It tickled his ear and he smiled, flexing his arms.

"Hello beautiful" he said slowly opened his eyes and almost screamed in horror.

"Beautiful? Thank you, James" Mrs. Potter answered with an amused smile on her face.

"Mum, er, hi! You're home early" he said and she frowned.

"I'm actually ten minutes late" she responded raising her eyebrows.

James sighed and cleared his throat.

"Yeah well... I don't have the time on me" he said and she glanced down at his right wrist and so did he.

"I forgot about that" he said checking it and found that his mother was indeed ten minutes late.

Someone coughed in the corner and James glanced over and saw Lily who was looking like Christmas had come early.

"Why you wear your watch on that wrist is beyond me" his mother said walking into the kitchen.

"It's comfortable and because I'm right handed so I'm always doing things with my right hand" he said and Lily burst out laughing.

"No I didn't mean it like that!" he shouted but to no avail, Lily continued cackling and he sighed.

"You should be going to Alice's" he told her getting up and walking over to her.

She shrugged and grabbed her coat from the hook by the door and fastened it around herself.

"Alright then, Mamma's boy" she retorted and he glared at her.

"It's not what you think I didn't know it was her..." he murmured and she raised an eyebrow.

"No? Then who did you think it was?" she asked curiously and he stared at her.

"You" he replied and she stared back at him.

"Thank you" she said and he smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he said pulling her into a hug and she sighed, wrapping her arms around him and getting a whiff of his hair. It was nice, it smelt like apples and felt very silky and smooth. It was all she could do to not rest her nose upon it and sniff it continuously.

"Have fun at Alice's" he added and she smiled, kissing his cheek. Both were completely unaware that Mrs. Potter had witnessed it.

"You're a good friend James. Without you and your family then I would still be pretty shaken up about everything at home. Being here makes me feel as if... As if I'm a part of something really special and for awhile I forget that mine isn't whole anymore. But then It comes to the time when I have to go home that I remember I'm leaving people who all have it so together and at the end of the day you have a whole family, even if your Dad is away" she said quietly but Mrs. Potter heard the whole thing and smiled as she watched James tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"I'd do anything for you, Lily. And you're a part of this family. You helped us out a lot. I mean, I was an arsehole before you came and you helped me become someone I can be proud of" he told her and she grinned.

"Any time you need a reminder of how a good person should be then give me a call" she said and he chuckled.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen. I don't want to be that guy anymore. My Mum needs to rely on me when my Dad isn't here and to be responsible. I just hope she knows" he said and Lily shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe she does" she answered. "I'm going to say goodnight to her" she said and Mrs. Potter quickly hurried over to the sink and started washing them hoping she hadn't been caught eavesdropping.

"Goodnight Katherine, I'll see you tomorrow" Lily said when she got into the kitchen and the older woman turned and smiled at her.

"Goodnight Lily, have a nice night" she sad and Lily waved and turned to leave.

"Thank you for everything" she added and Lily smiled and told her there was no need to thank her. She passed James on the way out to the door and he asked her if she was driving.

She nodded and pulled her keys from her pocket.

"I sure am" she answered and he stood up.

"I'll walk you outside" he told her and she smirked.

"Did your Mummy tell you to do that?"

His eyes narrowed and she beamed at him.

"Shut up. Let's go" he said opening the door and he stepped back to let her go through first.

It was cold outside. Lily wrapped her jacket around herself even tighter and felt guilty that James was only in a tight white t-shirt and sweatpants. She pushed the key into her car door and the lock clicked and James opened the door for her.

"Wow, did your Mummy teach you those manners?" she asked turning to face him and he sighed and shook his head.

"You won't let up on that will you?"

She shook her head with a smirk.

"Never. I'm going to remind you about this for the rest of our lives" she answered and he stared at her with a frown.

"You deserve to be punished. I believe a spanking is in order" he said and she raised her eyebrows.

"_Really_ James?"

He grinned mischievously, like the chesire cat.

"I'll do it now if I have to" he warned and she chuckled.

"Oh how appropriate" Lily shot back sarcastically and James stared down at her.

"Tell me a secret" she added and he swallowed.

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow in your dress. You're going to look great" he said winking at her and her cheeks went a dark red.

"Thank you James. So are you... In your um... Beautiful dress robes" she answred, her mouth twitching at the corners.

"Hey, we agreed; no laughing at each other" he said as she sat on the seat inside the car and put on her seatbelt. She smiled up at him.

"Don't worry we can just laugh at everyone else" she said winking and he grinned and stepped back, closing her door.

She wound down her window and stared up at him.

"I'll see you in the morning" he said waving to her and she started the car.

"Goodnight, James. Have _sweet_ dreams" she said cheekily and he shook his head.

"Goodnight, Lily. Don't think about me too much" he said walking away backwards.

She waved and backed out of the drive way and was gone in no time. James stood there for a second before walking back into the house grinning. If only Lily knew...

**A/N:**

**Another chapter finished! Don't worry the wedding is not too far away :) I know you're all probably thinking "IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Lol **

**But I'm sorry you won't have to wait long because next chapter will be a monster with the wedding packed into it. I hope you all liked this chapter.**

**I don't mind it ;)**

**Well until next chapter (SORRY for the wait!),**

**Love **_**LilyHeartsJames**_** xoxoxoxoxox **


	13. Chapter 13

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To Simple Plan and Skillet. At the moment I'm all excited because my most favourite band EVER Simple Plan is making a new album and I'm so excited and can't wait for it to hit stores, and hopefully they have a concert in Australia because my parents wouldn't let me go to their last one & I was heartbroken. I never got over it. And at the moment I'm listening to Skillet so I'm in a massive Skillet mood :)_

**Notes: **_When I started last chapter I wasn't in the best mood because a lot of crap to do with my family brought me down. But it's been awhile and I'm feeling better. Not to mention I'm eating really yummy popcorn and listening to awesome music and I'm updating. So I'm feeling quite positive right now. Thank you SO much for all the reviews guys. I'm loving them heaps._

* * *

"I've got a dress for you but you can't see it until the morning. So suck it up and wait for it" Alice told an excited Lily who flopped down onto her friend's bed and sighed.

"But that's not fair! Pleeeeeease Alice?"

Alice smiled happily to herself and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Lily but no can do. Just wait, you'll love it".

Lily pushed out her bottom lip into a pout and Alice narrowed her eyes.

"It's not going to work" she said and Lily sighed yet again and looked up at the ceiling.

"How was work?" she asked and Lily smiled.

"It was great, except for Sirius. He's not doing too great. His girlfriend dumped him" she replied and Alice winced and lay down beside her.

"I can imagine how he would be taking it. What's he more upset about? Being dumped or not being with her anymore?"

"We haven't figured that out yet. I think it's both but Sirius is just being all macho and trying not to let us in on the fact he's hurting and really missing her" she answered and looked at her best friend.

"Why did she do it?" Alice asked curiously and Lily shrugged.

"Sirius says it's because Sera was jealous of him being a Wizard and he has to go back to Hogwarts so she won't see him very much. I can understand the distance thing but I had no idea she was envious of him. I mean I knew she wasn't happy about being a Muggle but I didn't think she would actually be jealous" she said and Alice shook her head.

"So it was envy and distance. They don't mix too well do they?" Alice asked and Lily shrugged and blew her fringe out of her eyes.

"Are you excited about seeing your _boyfriend_ tomorrow?" Lily asked and Alice rolled her eyes and sat up.

"Peter's not my boyfriend, we're going as friends" she said walking over to her cupboard. "What about you and your _boyfriend_?"

Lily groaned.

"James is NOT my boyfriend! Alice, you know we can't" she said watching her friend pull out her pjs.

"Technically you can, you're just a) too responsible to give it a go and b) you're both stubborn and won't admit how much you guys like one another" she answered and Lily sat up and glared at her.

"I don't like him in that way. And even if I did we can't. He wouldn't like someone like me and I told his Mum that nothing would happen. My focus has to be on my job. Those kids are amazing and I'm not jeopardising that for a relationship that would never happen" she said and Alice sighed.

"When are you going to wake up and realise James likes you? You like each other! Lily, I'm your best friend. I know you; I know when you have feelings for someone. The way he looks at you, even at dinner at your house when you dressed up he couldn't take his eyes off you, his jaw literally dropped! You two are head over heels for each other and you don't even realise it" she responded heatedly and Lily stared at her.

"He's a good friend, that's all. I can't do that to his Mum, or Aaron. Aaron used to hate me because every baby-sitter they had would only do the job because James was there and they'd be together for a short time then he would break up with them and they would leave. Aaron has started to be friendly with me, he's showed me a side to him I thought I'd never see. I can't do that to him, it's too important to me" Lily murmured and Alice watched her carefully.

"James is not that guy anymore, you changed him. He's different with you, I've seen it. He really, really cares about you and he's not the same jerk he used to be, you know that. When Aaron realises you aren't going anywhere he'll learn to accept it and as long as you keep your mind on the job when you're there then everything will be fine. Lily, you can't-"

"I can't, Alice. I have a responsibility to Mrs. Potter and a responsibility to Jessie and Aaron. They mean too much to me to lose them over it" she whispered and Alice stared at her indignantly.

"You can't close your heart to love forever, Lily. You've got to let someone in eventually" she said and Lily looked down at the ground.

"Your Dad wouldn't want you to miss this chance at being happy" she added and a tear slipped down the redhead's cheek.

"Oh, Lily! That's another reason why isn't it? You're afraid of being happy while your Dad isn't aren't you?"

Lily nodded and looked up at her.

"Mum just left him and he's started to get it back together again. He's just got a job and he's back to being himself. I don't want it to remind him of what happened with Mum and then having him back to being stuck inside the house all day confined to his room" she replied and Alice wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"You're my best friend and I love you. I won't let that happen again, and I know that your Dad just wants you to be happy; he doesn't want you holding back on his account and wondering what if. He loves you so much and he just wants his little girl to be happy like you deserve to be" she said softly and Lily wiped her eyes and pulled back.

"I love you too, Alice but I can't. It's just too complicated and we're fine just as friends" she responded and Alice nodded.

"Okay. I'm sorry for pushing it I just want you to think about yourself sometimes. It's okay to do that" she told her and Lily nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to get changed okay?"

Alice watched her friend grab her bag and leave the room and sighed. Operation Fluffy was moving too slowly for her liking...

* * *

Lily's eyes opened slowly and she rolled over and found an empty bed and frowned. Alice wasn't usually a morning person, she liked to sleep late but she was nowhere to be found. The room was full of light and the clock read a quarter past nine and she sighed. This was definitely unusual.

"Alice?"

The brown haired girl popped her head into the door and grinned.

"Good morning!" she said brightly walking in with a box tied up with a ribbon.

"Why are you up so early and why are you abnormally cheery?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow and her friend shrugged, hopping onto the bed.

"Because I can't wait to see your face" she answered and Lily propped herself up on her elbows and Alice passed her the box.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see".

Lily sighed and pulled at the ribbon and pulled off the lid and gasped.

"Alice, how did you know?"

She pulled the dress from the wrapping and stared at it with wide eyes.

It was the dress from the shop.

"There's a note inside" Alice prompted and Lily pulled it out from the bottom of the paper and it said:

_Lily,_

_Every pretty girl deserves a pretty dress._

_No refunds. I expect to see you in it ;)_

_James_

Lily gaped and then her eyes landed on Alice.

"I can't wear this" she said slowly but Alice shook her head and frowned.

"Yes you certainly can. James bought it for you; he'd be crushed if you didn't. Besides none of my dresses would fit you" she said and Lily scrunched her eyes up in confusion at her.

"That dress from-"

"Nope. You're not wearing that one. James knew you couldn't afford this one so he got it for you, he knew how much you liked it. Plus I have direct orders not to let you leave the house without it on, even if I have to dress you myself" she responded and Lily sighed.

"Okay..." she said, dragging the word as long as she could.

Alice beamed and hopped off the bed clapping her hands.

"Yay!"

Lily chuckled at her friend's reaction and took the dress into the bathroom along with her bag. She slipped it on and stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. This time it wasn't a sad one. It was a happy one.

She loved this dress, it fit her nicely. She could tell James liked it at the shop, but she'd told him not to get it for her. She didn't like people buying her things. She did appreciate it though.

She opened the door and walked back into Alice's room and put her hand on her hip and Alice who was in her own dress wolf-whistled.

"Wow! You look amazing!" she said and Lily blushed a deep red.

"I haven't done my hair and makeup yet" she replied hushing her and Alice laughed at her friend's embarrassment.

"Well hop to it" she said and Lily hopped back out of the room and Alice's loud cackle could be heard from the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth and then applied her makeup which consisted of mascara, eyeliner, foundation, blush and pink lipstick. Next was her hair.

She tied half of it up into a loose bun and let the bottom half of her hair sit on her shoulders. With a flick of her wand it went from being magically straightened to loose curls. Her fringe was then pushed to the right side of her head and was bobby-pinned there. She then attacked it with hairspray so that it wouldn't fall apart and she smiled.

Alice walked in and smiled and then swished her wand and her hair was all up into a pony tail with a strand of hair wrapped around it so that the hair tie wasn't visible. Her fringe was then pinned back with a slight bump and hairspray was applied. She had already done her makeup.

"We look sexy" she said and Lily grinned ecstatically and Alice gasped.

"Photo!" she said grabbing her camera and wrapping an arm around Lily. She aimed the camera towards them and a click noise showed them it had taken it.

"I'd better get going, Alice. Thank you sooo much for everything, I'll see you there" Lily replied and her friend winked and Lily bustled out of the room and took her bag out to the car. Lily was in and gone in next to no time.

* * *

"LILY'S HERE!" Aaron yelled in the kitchen doorway and took off down the hall to open the door for her.

"Hi Aaron" she greeted happily and he smiled at her.

"You look nice" he told her and she thanked him.

"So do you" she replied and made her way into the kitchen and he sped ahead.

Katherine, James and Jessie were in the kitchen and James was attempting to make his hair lay flat while his mother tried to fix the ribbon on Jessie's dress.

James looked up from the mirror that was there and his jaw dropped to the ground and Lily grinned sheepishly.

"Hi" she said nervously and Katherine turned to her and gave her a huge smile.

"You look beautiful" she told her and Lily's face turned crimson.

"Thank you, so do you. Hi Jessie" she said waving and Jessie waved back.

"You're the prettiest" she told her and Lily chuckled.

"Second prettiest, no one can be more beautiful then you Jess" she responded and Jessie beamed at her.

Lily turned to look at James and inclined her head towards the hallway and he nodded, following her out.

"Wow, you look gorgeous" he told her when she turned to face him.

"James... You shouldn't have" she whispered and he stared into her eyes.

"I saw how much you wanted that dress, Lils. I don't regret buying it for you. And you're not paying me back" he added when she opened her mouth.

"I can't, James" she told him quietly but he shook his head.

"I'm not accepting your money. You look amazing, call it a gift for being my date" he said softly and she smiled at him.

"You don't scrub up too bad yourself. Nice robes" she said and he shook his head.

"We had a deal..."

"I know, I was complimenting you" she told him and he grinned at her.

"Thank you" they said at the same time.

"For the dress" she added and he nodded.

"It's fine. I'm glad you like it" he said and she shook her head.

"I love it, but it's too much-"

"Nothing's too much when it comes to you" he interrupted and she stared up into his eyes.

"Last night Alice said I should-"

"Prongs, you ready? Whoa, Evans. _Sex-y_" Sirius said growling and Lily cleared her throat and looked up at him.

"Hi Sirius, you look great. Did you get a good sleep?"

He shrugged.

"Could've been better. But anyway, I'm not letting her ruin my day" he said smiling and she smiled back at him.

"I'm glad. How are we getting there?"

"Floo Powder. It's in Peter's backyard, so-"

"Lily do you have something to cover your dress so it doesn't get dirty?" Mrs. Potter asked from the doorway to the kitchen and she shook her head.

"I didn't even think about it" Lily answered and sighed but Mrs. Potter smiled.

"Its fine, I'll make you something" she said and flicked her wand and a long black piece of cloth appeared out of thin air with a hood attached.

Lily took it gratefully and slipped it around her shoulders. She thanked her and Mrs. Potter passed one each to the boys.

"Have you travelled by Floo Powder before?"

Lily nodded and Mrs. Potter sighed happily.

"Good, let's get going" she said and they all made their way into the lounge room.

"Someone take Aaron with them please" she asked and Sirius grabbed him by the hood.

"Looks like you're stuck with me" Sirius informed him and Aaron grimaced at him.

"Great" he said sarcastically.

"Lily should go with James, he knows where he's going" she said and James winked at her.

"Alright, you two go first and then Sirius and Aaron will follow and then I'll come with Jessie. See you soon" she said and James grabbed some bright green powder and together they stepped forward, holding hands.

"Peter Pettigrew's living room!" James shouted and they were engulfed by flames.

Lily hated travelling by Floo Powder, she didn't like the feeling it gave her. She was beginning to get sick when it stopped and she went flying out of the fireplace but was caught by someone standing nearby and she opened her eyes and was staring into Remus'.

"Hello Lily" he said happily setting her on her own feet and she let out a deep breath and saw James brushing himself off.

"Hi Remus, thank you" she said pulling off the cloak and he took it from her.

She looked around the shabby lounge room and saw that it was filled with second hand furniture; a few things even looked third hand.

"So this is Peter's house" she said smiling slightly.

Despite the fact that it wasn't expensive it was still nice and cosy.

James and Remus both nodded and sat their cloaks on hooks by the door.

"How are you Prongs?"

"Not too bad, its nice weather for a wedding, isn't it?"

Remus grinned and was interrupted by Sirius and Aaron flying into the lounge room.

"MOONY! I missed you!" Sirius claimed rushing forward and holding his arms out wide.

"Sirius, you still have your robes on" Remus answered backing away and his friend sighed. He took them off and threw it to James who caught it with great skill. He placed it on the cloak stand along with the others and turned back to find Sirius crushing Remus tightly who seemed to have breathing difficulties.

"Hey Padfoot, please restrain yourself. You don't want people thinking you prefer men do you? I mean the whole hair thing already sets it up for you" James said and Sirius released Remus quickly.

"I'm not gay..." Sirius told them and James nodded slowly.

"I'm sure you aren't" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sirius didn't have the chance to have a comeback because Mrs. Potter and Jessie whizzed out of the fireplace next. Jessie wobbled on the spot and then fell backwards and Remus caught her quickly.

He lifted her up and the look on Jessie's face when she laid eyes on him wasn't missed by anyone.

"H-hi Remus!" she exclaimed and he gave her a small smile.

"Hello Jessie, Katherine" he said nodding at Mrs. Potter who dusted off Aaron's shoulder.

"Remus, it's so good to see you" she responded and pulled him into a hug. "Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded and headed outside after the new addition of cloaks were placed on the hat stand. The moment they stepped outside, they all gasped in awe.

A huge white marquee was standing in the middle of the garden with lots of purple and silver baubles floating everywhere. There were rows and rows of white seats in front of it and a small archway stood at the end of the aisle which was obviously where the bride and groom would stand making their vows. It was entwined with purple wildflowers and the breeze slightly swayed them. The oak trees also waved about in the feeble wind as Lily caught sight of her best friend standing talking to a much taller, slightly chubby boy. Or perhaps man was a better way to define him?

"Who's that talking to Alice?" she asked Sirius who was beside her and looking in the same direction with his head craned to the side.

"That's Frank Longbottom, he left Hogwarts a couple of years ago" he said and suddenly it clicked in her head who he was.

"I remember. He was a Prefect, wasn't he?" she asked directing the question at Remus now, who nodded.

"Indeed, he was a good one too. He's an Auror now, at the Ministry of Magic" he answered and she nodded.

"Do you guys mind if I go and say hi to Alice?" she asked and they shook their heads and she made her way over.

Alice turned and greeted her friend with a hug, a large smile on her face.

"Hello, gorgeous" she said winking at her.

"Hi, you look amazing!" the redhead replied and Frank chuckled.

"She does, doesn't she?" he said and Alice's face went brick red.

"Th-thank you" she stammered and Lily raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm Frank Longbottom" he said extending his hand to shake Lily's who took it.

"I'm Lily, Lily Evans" she told him and he nodded and winked.

"It's nice to meet you; Alice here has been talking non-stop about you since I met her ten minutes ago" he mentioned with a sideways glance at the beetroot red face of Alice.  
"Awww, that's so cute, Alice" Lily said slyly smirking at her.

Alice rolled her eyes.

"You didn't get angry at James for buying you the dress did you?"

Lily shook her head.

"No Alice, I thanked him. And thank you for hiding it from me" she added sarcastically and her friend chuckled.

"You know you love me" she answered and Lily sighed.

"Okay, maybe" she said and then turned and glanced at James who was conversing with Peter, Sirius and Remus.

"I'm going to say hello to Peter, you know, _your date_?" Lily informed her, hinting that she should do the same.

"I'll come with you, I couldn't find him before" Alice said linking arms with her.

"I'll see you later?" Frank asked and Alice blushed.

"Save me a dance" she answered over her shoulder and he grinned and winked at her, his dimples showing greatly.

They walked off together over towards the boys who went silent the moment they reached them.

"There you are, Peter. I was looking for you earlier and then I bumped into Frank. Congratulations" Alice said giving him a small hug. The look on his face over her shoulder made Lily giggle as his bright baby blue eyes almost bugged out of his head. His blonde hair usually plastered on top of his head was slicked back and he beamed happily.

"You, uh... You look... Nice" he murmured just so she could hear him as he stepped back and she smiled.

"Thank you, and you look very dashing yourself" she said giving him a wink.

Lily could have sworn his heart stopped for a second as he gasped.

"Th-thanks" he replied averting his eyes to the ground.

Lily smiled at him.

"Hi, Peter. This place looks amazing, did you do this?"

Remus cleared his throat.

"He did, I watched him" he said nudging his friend who smiled gratefully at him and nodded.

"You did a splendid job" she said and he smiled back at her.

"Thank you, Lily. You look nice too" he said and she blushed and looked away and noticed Frank in conversation with someone else but he was looking over at their group, at one in particular.

"What are you looking at?" James asked and followed her line of direction and frowned then turned away and fell into a discussion with Remus over the kinds of drinks available.

Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Sirius who shrugged and grabbed her by the hand.

"Let's walk and talk" he said pulling her along and leaving Peter and Alice talking whilst she kept glancing over at Frank every now and then.

"What's up with Alice in Wonderland?" he asked as he linked arms with her and they walked past the trees.

"I think she may be in love" Lily replied smiling jokingly and Sirius snorted.

"With Longbottom? Why?"

She shrugged and looked over her shoulder at him who was still watching Alice.

"He is quite charming; he seems like a nice person. I don't like how he isn't paying attention to his conversation though, that would annoy me" she answered and Sirius laughed.

"His eyes are glued to her! And poor Wormtail, Alice is only half paying attention" he said and shook his head.

Lily sighed. "I think they like each other, the way he complimented her..."

Sirius groaned.

"But Pete likes Alice, he'd be crushed" he said sadly and Lily stopped and looked at him.

"Alice hasn't even realised, she just thinks Peter's being nice to her" she said and Sirius chuckled.

"When guys are nice to girls and do nice things for them they aren't hoping to be 'just friends' if you know what I mean" he said and Lily was about to begin walking again when she froze.

"_Nothing's too much when it comes to you" he interrupted and she stared up into his eyes._

Did James buy the dress for her, hoping she would date him? Or do other things with him? Did he expect that?

Sirius rolled his eyes at her.

"What's up, Lilian?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking" she said and smiled. "It's okay, let's get going the wedding looks as if it's about to start" she said grabbing his arm and pulling him back with her.

* * *

Cameras flashed in every direction as Peter's mother and new stepfather pushed the knife further down into the cake until it was sliced neatly. It was a two story white mud cake and had a bride and groom model on the top, their arms linked. Amongst cheers they each cut several pieces for their guests and handed them out, leaving two huge chunks for them to feed one another.

It was cute, in a newly-wed, lovey dovey way. But then again, it was also slightly sickening watching them kiss passionately with their mouths full of cake. Lily could understand why Peter was red in the face and looking at anything but them. He swallowed, turned away and walked towards the buffet and sat beside the table and began eating his cake.

Lily felt terrible for him so she took her own cake and sat next to him and gave him a smile.

"How are you, Peter?" she asked biting her cake and he sighed and glanced up at her.

"Not so good. My dad left me and my mum and now we're stuck with this guy. But I suppose it could be worse. Mum could still be upset over dad" he said with a shrug and she frowned.

"My mum left not long ago. The day I got back from Hogwarts last term. Then she sent my sister and I a letter basically saying we held her back her whole life" she replied and Peter shook his head.

"That's shit, I'm sorry" he told her and she sighed and shrugged.

"She lives in Paris now and thinks that after we've held her back for years we'll go running over to her with her new boyfriend" Lily murmured bitterly and Peter smiled sympathetically.

"Mine doesn't even talk to me. Haven't heard from him since he sent mum divorce papers in first year" he explained morosely and shrugged and she patted his shoulder.

"At least your mum's happy. That's the main thing" she answered and he nodded and sighed.

"That's why I'm putting up with it. I'll be back to Hogwarts soon so I won't have to deal with it" he said with a slightly more pleasant tone.

"Not complaining are you, Wormtail?" Sirius asked making his way over with a giant piece of cake and adding more food from the table onto it.

"Your buttons are going to bust, Sirius" Lily warned him but he shrugged.

"What makes you think I'm not trying to achieve that? Bloody dress robes" he murmured to himself and Lily grinned and he sat his plate on her lap and pulled up a chair.

They were all talking animatedly when Alice and James came hurrying over and giggling to themselves.

"Oh, Merlin! Snape is here!" Alice said chuckling and Lily stood up automatically.

"Severus? Here?"

James' eyes narrowed and nodded.

"He's asking for you, he's outside" he indicated, nodding towards the door of the marquee and Lily strode past with a quiet thank you. She made her way outside and frowned, looking around for him. She caught him standing beneath a tree dressed in deep, black robes. His greasy hair blew in the wind and when she came towards him he turned, his long pointed nose standing out due to his dark hair and pale skin.

"Severus?"

His profound, jet black eyes met her emerald green ones and a tiny smile formed on his usual, sallow face and the puzzled expression on hers was mirrored in his eyes. He stepped forwards until he was standing right in front of her and he said; "I didn't get to see you on the holidays".

She frowned and glanced at the ground.

"I've told you thousands of times; I don't want to be around you anymore. You aren't Sev anymore. You're just Severus" she replied sadly and the hurt in his eyes was evident as they sparkled with unshed tears.

"How many times do I have to apologise?" he asked, a hint of anger and impatience in his tone.

Lily glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"You discriminated against people like me. Against Muggleborns. You called me a-"

"Don't say it" he snapped and her eyes darkened.

"It was okay for you to say it then. What's different now? You go around preaching about being pure and fully magical when really you're a fraud. Your Dad is a Muggle, Severus. You have Muggle blood in you" she replied heatedly and his teeth grinded together.

"Don't talk about him to me. I hate my father, he was a bastard. He deserves everything he gets" he snarled and she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

"What are you talking about? What does he deserve? Severus, what's going on?" Lily demanded and he stared at her before turning away.

"I've missed you, you know. You always made me a better person, until we got to Hogwarts and we were split up. You look nice" he muttered before hurrying away and Lily watched him go with a sombre expression. If only he hadn't insulted her that day and had stopped hanging out with the wrong crowd she could forgive him. If only.

* * *

"Lily!" Alice called out and the redhead made her way over and smiled at her friends.

"Hi, what's going on?"

"What was all that about?" James and Sirius asked immediately, ignoring her question.

"It was nothing. Does anyone want a drink?" she asked and a few nodded and she headed over to the drinks table where she bumped into Frank who spilt his drink on the floor.

"Oh God, I am so sorry" she said glancing around at all the guests. Frank smiled and turned his back so no one apart from Lily could see him use his wand to clean up the mess. (**A/N: **A few were Muggles)

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I wasn't paying much attention" he told her and walked back to the punch bowl with her.

"Are you having a nice time?" he asked pouring them both drinks. He poured a few more for Remus and Sirius and then grabbed one of them.

"I liked the ceremony, and the decorations are really nice" she replied and he grinned.

"It was very romantic... Um, just out of curiosity, as a completely uninterested third party person; does Alice have a boyfriend?" he asked catching her off guard. She turned to him suddenly and said; "She doesn't, but Peter is her date and he likes Alice".

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, wow. I had no idea. Now I feel awkward" he said blushing but Lily shook her head at him.

"Don't, you didn't know. Alice is quite a catch" she answered and he grinned and nodded and they began walking again.

"She's gorgeous. I mean no offence, you're very pretty, but Al-"

"Excuse me, but do you mind if I dance with _my_ date?" James butted in from behind and Frank raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course not. Here, let me take this from you" he said grabbing Lily's drinks with skill and headed over to the table to speak to Alice.

James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

"Really, James. Could you have been anymore rude?" she asked as he pulled her close to his body and held her right hand in his left. His own right hand rested on her waist, and her left found his shoulder and they swirled around the floor slowly.

"Me? You're the one who's hitting on Longbottom when _clearly_ he likes your _best friend_" he emphasized and Lily's mouth dropped.

"Is that what you think? That I like Frank?" she asked absolutely gobsmacked.

He glared down at her.

"Yes, that's what I think" he answered matter-of-factly and she sighed.

"Alice and Frank clearly like each other, we were just talking about it" she answered and he rolled his eyes.

"You've been watching him all day, I've seen you. Then you saw him at the drink stand and just _decided_ you wanted a drink. Then he was complimenting you when you have a date here. How could you do that to Alice after everything she's done for you?" he asked frowning at her and her cheeks went red, but not from embarrassment.

"For your information I noticed he was watching Alice, all day. I was looking at him because he was staring at her whilst in conversation with someone else which I thought was rude, you can even ask Sirius because he was with me at the time. I went to get a drink because I was thirsty and I didn't want to talk about Severus and he happened to be there. Then he asked if Alice had a boyfriend, and I told him she didn't but she had a date who likes her. Then he felt bad because he didn't realise Peter likes Alice and I told him not to feel embarrassed about it. Then he started talking about how gorgeous Alice was and he must have felt bad for bragging about her so he told me I looked pretty and he was about to continue on about how amazingly beautiful Alice is before you interrupted. How dare you suggest that I would do something like that to my best friend! And for the record, people are allowed to tell me if I look nice, it's not as if I'm your girlfriend so stop acting a like a jealous, pompous jerk, James!"

By this time they had stopped dancing and were glaring at one another, unaware that all the guests were watching them curiously. Their voices had carried across the room making everyone inside silent and they both looked around and went red.

"Crap" Lily muttered glancing over at Peter who was wide-eyed. She turned away from James and hurried over to him, leaving her date on the floor. Everyone in the room began buzzing again and Lily knew they were discussing what had happened.

"Oh my God, Peter I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen, I swear-"

"Its okay" he said as if he was seeing right through her and she froze.

"I-What? Are you sure? I'm really sorry, I didn't realise everyone else was listening and-"

"I said its okay. She needed to know eventually. I'm going to go talk to her, wish me luck" he said making his way towards her.

"Wait, Peter, no" she said and he turned to face her and the excited glint in his eye almost broke her heart. She couldn't do this to him.

"Good luck" she mumbled, annoyed at herself and he grinned and then continued over to Alice.

James was watching from the middle of the dance floor and then hurried over to her.

"Why are you letting him do this?" he demanded angrily and her eyes narrowed.

"Because he needs to hear it for himself. This has nothing to do with us, it's between him and Alice" she replied and he stared at her incredulously.

"He's _my_ friend! I can't just let him get heartbroken" he responded and she sighed.

"James this is something he needs and wants to do. Just let him do it" she told him and then turned to Remus who shrugged at her.

"It wasn't your fault, Lily. This could have gone worse" he said with an encouraging smile and James snorted.

"It is so!"

"James" he warned but he shook his head.

"If she hadn't blurted it out then-"

"If you weren't being so over-protective-"

"If you weren't trying to steal your best friend's man-"

"If you weren't such an arsehole-"

"ENOUGH! God, you two need to sort out your problems elsewhere!" Remus yelled angrily, leaving the room to go silent once more as he strode away tautly.

Lily and James glanced at each other and looked away, not wanting to make eye contact.

Lily turned on her heel and left the tent out the back and James walked off in the other direction towards Aaron who was eyeing off a couple of girls in the corner. Sirius noticed and he decided to follow Lily because she had no one else out there. He hurried off in pursuit of her and didn't see James glare at his back, feeling as if his best friend didn't care about his feelings. James passed this moment off by turning to his brother and giving him some advice on girls.

"And they really like it if you go up and say-"

"Don't say it now because it might ruin the moment. Seriously, just go up, say the line and pull off that charming Potter smile of yours and you'll be dancing with them by the end of the night" he said and Aaron sighed and got up.

"Hey, don't forget the line. And pull a few jokes so they think you're funny" James told his younger brother with a wink and Aaron made his way over to the girls and James watched excitedly and hopefully.

"Er, hi. Um..."

The girls turned to him and the blonde one raised her eyebrows at him.

"What do you want?" she asked in an uninterested voice.

"Um..." he glanced over at James who nodded and gave him the thumbs up and looked back at the girls. The brunette smiled at him and he sighed.

"Did I just fart? Because I blew you away" he said and both girls gaped at him and he realised his mistake.

"I mean, crap! I meant, did _you_ just fart? Because _you_ blew _me_ away" he corrected himself going tomato red in the face.

They both began giggling uncontrollably at him and he decided to give the famous Potter smile a go.

The blonde stopped laughing and said; "Why are you smiling? You just made an idiot of yourself!" she said sniggering behind her hand.

She turned to her brunette friend and said; "Come on, let's go" and grabbed her arm and dragged her away, her friend glancing back over her shoulder at Aaron who stood there dejectedly.

He slumped back over to James and sat back down next to him, putting his chin in his hands and resting them on his knees.

"How'd it go?" James asked and Aaron glanced at him.

"I made a tool of myself!" he said angrily and he reported what he had done to his brother and James sat there laughing at him for a full five minutes while Aaron just glared at him.

"Oh, Merlin. You are _so_ not a Potter" James mumbled and Aaron punched him on the arm whilst James just continued laughing.

* * *

"Lily!" Sirius called out jogging over to her, his hair whipping behind him. It was getting windier now and the sky darkened slightly.

She turned to face him and sighed.

"He _so_ overreacted! Who does he think he is?" she demanded and Sirius grinned.

"He was jealous, I could tell from the way he watched you this morning when you were seeing if Frank was staring at Alice, he turned away and tried to pretend as if it didn't matter. Then when you were talking to him at the drink stand, James was seething" he said and Lily frowned at him.

"But why? Why does he have to be jealous?"

Sirius stared down into her green eyes with his grey ones and put his hands on her shoulders.

"He likes you" he said and she shook her head.

"I know that but-"

"No, Lily, you don't. He doesn't like you, he _likes_ you" he cut in, trying to get it through her head.

Lily snorted.

"Don't be preposterous! He doesn't, we're just friends" she responded and Sirius shook his head.

"He told you about those dreams he had right? And after the phone call before we came to dinner at your house he got a boner when you mentioned you were going to have a shower. When he saw you all dressed up his jaw smashed into the ground. When you were trying on that dress and showed him, his eyes bugged out of his head even more than usual. He bought you that dress, not just because you needed one, but because he clearly has feelings for you. He got super jealous when you talked to Frank today. He went overboard when Frank said that you were pretty. He _likes_ you Lily, and admit it, you _like_ him too".

"Can you stop saying _like_ like that?" she asked and he grinned at her.

"If you stop denying it" he answered and she sighed.

"Sirius, you're reading into it too much. We're _just_ friends" she added slowly and he chuckled.

"As soon as you pair wake up and realise what's really on the inside" he said winking at her and turned to go back inside.

"You coming?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I'm going to sit out here for awhile, I'll be in soon" she answered and he left. She headed over to a tree with a swing connected to it and purple flowers with silver streamers were entwined around the ropes. She sat on it facing away from the tent and swung slowly, her face staring up at the clouds. She was busy trying to figure out what shapes they formed when she heard footsteps behind her and tensed.

"Okay, so maybe I am the biggest dickhead" the familiar voice murmured and she sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry" he continued but she said nothing.

James lost his patience and grabbed the ropes, causing the swing to come to a stop. He came around in front of her but she turned her head.

"Hey, look at me" he said turning her head softly towards his face.

His hazel eyes burned into hers as he watched her stare at him with annoyance behind her own eyes. Her lips were tightly jammed together as if she was afraid of saying something she didn't want to say, as if she might regret it.

"I am sorry, I really am. I shouldn't have acted that way, you weren't doing anything and I was in the wrong. It wasn't your fault about Peter and I guess I _was_ acting like... A jealous idiot and I am so sorry, and I promise to make it up to you every day if that's what it takes" he said quietly. She sighed and said; "I'm sorry for getting angry at you, I just... You were overreacting!"

James nodded slowly and he closed his own eyes. "I know and I shouldn't have. I will... Be your slave for the rest of the year!" he said and a small smile formed on her face, tugging at the corners of her lips.

"There's that beautiful smile" he rejoiced happily and tilted her chin upwards.

"I hated being yelled at by you, but I have to admit you do make a pretty hot angry chick" he told her with a cheeky grin and she blushed slightly.

"I didn't like you yelling at me. Truce?" she asked and he sighed.

"Well, I'll have to think about it" he said smiling at her and she narrowed her eyes playfully.

"I'll bash you" she threatened but he rolled his eyes.

"Please, as if. I would be surprised if you did" he said and she shrugged.

"You don't think I can surprise you?"

He smirked. "Go on, try it. I doubt you could" he said and she sighed. She thought for a moment, pondering on all the choices in her mind and then on impulse, she grabbed him by the collar, pulled his face to hers and their lips crashed together fiercely. Finally.

It was as if their lips were made to be moulded together, her lips fit perfectly with his and they kissed with such a passion, James grabbed hold of the ropes to keep himself steady on the ground. His tongue grazed her bottom lip, practically begging for entrance and she allowed it inside her mouth. They kissed for what seemed like ages; seconds, minutes, hours, days until finally an ear splitting scream interrupted their moment of affection and they broke apart almost reluctantly.

"I, er... That was-" but James, a little out of breath and as was Lily, was once again interrupted by yet another scream.

They shared a worried glance before Lily got to her feet and together they ran into the tent, James in front of Lily with his hand in his pocket as if about to pull out his wand. And it was a good thing he did.

It was absolute havoc. Chaos. Horrific. Terrifying madness.

A horde of people in black cloaks, all pulled over their heads, were running around the room with their wands out and throwing spells here and there. The guests were all screaming at the top of their lungs and darting in every direction and they often ran into one another. There were few wizards and witches with their own wands out firing spells back and forth at the cloaked people.

Lily and James entered the crowd and parted from one another accidentally, the crowd not allowing them to reach for one another again. Separated, they set out in search for their family members and Lily discovered Jessie underneath the cake table shivering. The fear in her usually happy, gleeful eyes was evident; they were large and rounded and flitted constantly around the room from people to people, crouched up into a little ball with her arms wrapped around her legs which were pulled up to her chest as if trying to protect herself.

She was scared, and as baby-sitter Lily was responsible for ensuring her safety so she dived under the table and Jessie wailed loudly until she figured out that it was the redhead.

"Lily! What's happening?" she asked and her baby-sitter scooped her into her arms and cradled her.

"I don't know, but you need to stay with me okay? Do _not_ let go of my hand, alright? It's going to be okay, I'll get us out of here".

She nodded slowly and grabbed her hand, Lily held her wand in her free right hand and they slowly edged their way out from around the table. They were breaking out into a quick paced run behind a statue when it suddenly blasted apart and they both yelled in shock and Lily caught sight of a hooded man staring at them with a white, skull like mask gleaming at them in the light. He started towards them and Lily pushed Jessie behind her, who gripped onto the bottom of Lily's dress and Lily faced the man in front of her.

He raised his wand and Lily was about to shoot him with a stunning spell but he got his in first.

"Expelliarmus!"

Her wand went soaring into the air and he caught it in his outstretched hand and made his way forwards, determination showing in his springy footsteps.

Lily made sure Jessie was behind her and was prepared to take the wrap, but a small voice shouted; "Expelliarmus!" and both wands in the hooded figure's hands flew off and were caught by Aaron who seemed amazed at what he'd done, staring at the wand he'd found on the ground with wide eyes.

"I'm going to get you, you little punk-"

"STUPEFY!" Remus yelled aiming a perfect stunning spell at the man who keeled over backwards.

Aaron hurried over to his sister and gave Lily back her wand and she stared at him with surprise.

"Thank you, Aaron. And Remus, thank you so much. Where's everyone else?"

He shrugged and they glanced around the room.

"Katherine's helping people evacuate, James is off fighting and I think Peter's gone with his mum. No one's seen Sirius for ages, not since he went outside with you" he added with a worried glance around the room.

"Okay, we need to get these kids to safety. Where can we Apparate safely?" she asked and he grabbed Aaron's hand and Lily carried Jessie. They moved through the room skilfully, dodging spells back and forth and making their way out of the tent.

"We're going to have to take them somewhere. The Potter's?"

Remus shook his head and they ran behind a cluster of trees and checked the area before Lily sat Jessie back on the ground.

"I heard them talking, Death Eaters. They were saying something about looking for one of the Potter's and that their house was empty so I'm assuming they've already been there so it wouldn't be safe to go there now" he explained and she sighed, looking around her for inspiration.

"My house, we'll take them there. Dad can watch the kids and we'll put protection around the house so they can't get in" she said and Remus nodded and they each grabbed hold of the kids so they were all joined.

"Okay, Jessie and Aaron please stay calm; I'm going to get us somewhere where no one can hurt us, okay?"

They mumbled "okay" and Lily and Remus both nodded at one another and she turned left on the spot and welcomed the uncomfortable feeling that she hated so much. She couldn't even fathom how excruciating and weird it must have been for the children, but when they reached their destination in Lily's lounge room they seemed fine, apart from the fact they were shaken up.

"Dad?"

Her father made his way from the kitchen and looked at them oddly before asking what was going on.

"There's been a mishap at the wedding and we need you to look after Aaron and Jessie for us" she said and he scratched his head.

"Uh, okay. But why? What's happened?"

Lily sighed.

"We'll explain everything later, but Dad, please don't open the door to anyone okay? Nobody" she instructed and he nodded and glanced at the children.

Remus turned to her and said; "You should stay here, just in case. It'll be fine" he added before she could interrupt.

"Remus, I can't let you go alone..." she said trailing off but he shook his head.

"Its okay, Lily. Just stay here with your Dad and the kids and I'll take care of everyone at the wedding" he said and she pulled him into a big hug and both of the kids joined in.

"Bye Remus" Jessie said blowing him a kiss and he couldn't help but smile down at her.

He winked at Lily and turned left on the spot and disappeared into thin air.

"Lily, I want Mummy" Jessie murmured tugging on her baby-sitter's dress.

"Come here, sweetie. Mummy will be here soon. How about I tuck the both of you into bed and then you can go to sleep, and when you wake up your Mummy will be here" she said, hoping with all her might this would be the case.

Jessie nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks and Lily carried her up the stairs and Aaron followed. Lily took them into her room and pulled back her quilt and lay Jessie down on it and Aaron took off his dress robes and hopped in next to his little sister.

"Do you guys want a story?"

Jessie was already nodding off to sleep and Aaron shook his head.

"I'm fine thanks, Lily" he said smiling at her.

She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"You were very brave today; you saved both Jessie and me. You should be very proud of yourself" she said grinning at him and he shrugged.

"It was nothing; I just copied off what that guy did. You guys needed help" he said and she chuckled.

"Well thank you, it was a good thing you did. Where'd you find that wand?"

"On the ground. I saw that guy break the statue and you and Jessie were there so I grabbed it and ran after him. I won't get into any trouble will I?" he asked worriedly and Lily shook her head slowly.

"Of course not, if you hadn't have done what you did then Jessie and I may not be here. You did an amazing thing, and you should be happy about it" she told him ruffling his hair.

"Thanks. Goodnight Lily" he replied and she kissed his forehead.

"Call out to me if you need me, okay?"

He nodded and rolled over, wrapping his arms around his sleeping sister.

Lily stood up and left the door open a tiny bit and then made her way downstairs to her father who was watching television.

"Dad?"

He smiled up at her and patted the couch beside him.

"You look beautiful" he complimented her as she sat next to him and he put his arms around her.

"Thank you" she answered quietly and pretended to watch the T.V while really, her head was with another individual.

* * *

James threw spells constantly at the Death Eater in front of him, who shot them back. He was tall, and under the hood he was black. His mask had fallen off earlier when James chased him into the corner. The Death Eater sent a killing curse his way and James shielded himself from it and shot back at him.

"_Petrificus Totallus_!"

The man keeled over backwards, his arms and legs snapped together and James kicked away the wand. He gave him a death stare and moved on, determined to get as many as he could.

Remus was over fighting two at once in the corner and so he went over to help his friend.

"Where's Lily and the kids?" he asked after shooting a curse at the one behind the buffet table.

"At Lily's with her Dad, I told her to stay" he said shielding them from a leg binding spell.

"I bet she didn't like that" James answered floating a vase across and causing it to land on the Death Eater's head and shattering, causing the man to fall to the floor.

"To be honest I don't think she did, but I told her to stay with the kids" Remus responded closing in on his opponent.

He stunned him with ease and noticed the Death Eaters were falling, one by one.

"JAMES!"

James turned around and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Dad? Kingsley? What are you guys doing here?" he asked in shock as they made their way in throwing curses and spells everywhere.

"Helping you! We heard about all of this, where's your mother and the kids?"

"Mum's getting everyone to safety and the kids are at Lily's with her and her Dad" James responded and Kingsley took off after three Death Eaters in the corner.

"I can't believe you're home" James said happily but his father shook his head.

"Save the reunions for later, we've got to get these guys. Where's Sirius?"

"I don't know, we haven't seen him in ages" James replied and his father frowned.

"He'll be okay, Sirius is tough" Kingsley called out in his deep, slow voice from across the room.

James began fighting Death Eaters with more passion alongside his father. He was home at last.

* * *

Lily awoke bright and early the next morning on the couch, still in her dress. Her father had obviously covered her with a blanket and she could hear voices in the kitchen.

She got up excitedly, hoping it was the Potters and hurried into the kitchen and found her father, Katherine, James, Remus and a man who looked exactly like James, the spitting image only older.

"Is everything okay?" she asked as soon as they noticed her and everyone smiled.

"Only a few got away, but we got heaps" James said winking at her and she smiled.

"Where's Sirius?"

Remus shrugged.

"He disappeared before the Death Eater's came so we're hoping he turns up soon" he said in a worried voice and Lily frowned.

"That's not like him, he'd usually stay and fight" she said and Mr. Potter's eyes darkened.

"Wherever he is, he'd better have a good excuse. Hi, Lily, I'm David" he said extending a hand and she shook it.

"Hi, how was your trip?"

"It was great, until I found out my family was in danger. I came home the second we found out" he said shooting a worried look at his wife who was smiling at the redhead.

"Thank you for looking after the kids" she said and Lily smiled back at her.

"Its fine, you don't need to thank me. I'm going to go have a shower and get changed" she announced and made her way up the stairs.

She grabbed a towel and made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She got undressed and took out her hair and stepped under the steamy, warm water shooting down on her. Her first thoughts were about James, and if he was okay. He seemed quiet before, and usually when he was quiet something was wrong.

Was he nervous about the kiss the day before? Was he regretting it? Was he wishing he could go back and do things differently? Was it going to ruin their friendship?

She knew she shouldn't have done it, she didn't know what had driven her to be so stupid. She wanted to surprise him, and even she knew that the kiss had been so much more than that, it had felt... Perfect in a way. It was as if they didn't want to pull away.

She rinsed out her hair and then washed her body before turning off the water. She stepped out and grabbed the towel and dried herself fully and then wrapped it around her body. She walked out of the bathroom and entered her bedroom to grab some clothes out of the cupboard.

The kids were still in bed, and Lily noticed (she almost screamed and dropped her towel in shock) James sitting there in the chair beside the bed, watching them. His eyes flickered to her and his face went red but he didn't remove them from her body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" he said getting to his feet but she shook her head.

"No, no. Its fine, I just need to um, get some clothes" she said turning her back and going through her drawers. She pulled her outfit out of the cupboard and spun around, only to find James right behind her.

"Oh!" she said stepping backwards in fright and hitting her back on her cupboard.

He smiled at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to be startling you quite a bit" he noted and she didn't meet his eyes.

"I'm fine" she repeated and he frowned.

"You seem... Jumpy. Not nervous, are you?" he asked with a cheeky smirk and she glanced up at him.

"No, of course not. I just..." she trailed off as James leaned down towards her but she turned her head to the side so he caught her cheek.

"I need to get dressed" she said side stepping him and hurrying out of the room as quickly as possible. James sighed and leaned against the cupboard. Lily was regretting yesterday already.

He waited for her patiently and she made her way back in dressed in a black singlet and grey tack pants. Her hair was now dry, straight and up in a slim pony tail. She put on a pair of bright green canvas shoes and looked up at him.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Maybe" he said and she frowned and turned her head to the side.

"Well, I'm going to go down to the shops, if you want to come-"

"Lily, relax, I was joking" he said smiling at her and she shook her head at him.

"You suck" she answered and turned and he followed her out.

They told their parents where they were going and Remus got the hint that they needed to be alone and Apparated back to his house. Lily and James made their way along the sidewalk silently, each wondering who was going to break it.

"How long's your Dad home for?" Lily asked and James glanced at her.

"As long as possible, he doesn't want to be away from us any longer" he replied and she nodded.

"The kids will be happy to see him" she noted and he too nodded.

"Yeah, they will be".

The awkward silence continued until they were three blocks away when James grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

"I'm sick of avoiding it. We need to talk about what happened yesterday when you kissed me" he said straight out and she blushed.

"You kissed me back" she retorted and he shrugged.

"Irrelevant. Was it really to surprise me? Because it didn't feel like it after awhile..."

Lily blushed deeper and sighed.

"At first it was. But then I just... I liked kissing you" she admitted her face turning a beetroot red colour.

The grin on James' face was ecstatic.

"I was hoping you would say that, because I feel the same way" he responded and she cleared her throat and he continued.

"Lately I've been feeling these weird... feelings whenever I'm around you; I think about you all the time and it drives me insane. I dream about you, I often catch myself staring at you and I just feel like there's more to it then I try to tell myself. I like you, Lily" he explained in a low voice and Lily looked up at him, lost in thought.

James ran his hand through his hair agitatedly and made it look even messier than it was.

"Say something, anything" he begged and she wiped her eyes.

"I feel the same way, James, I do and I never meant for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this" she whispered and he stared at her with a deep frown upon his facial expression.

"I don't know if I can ignore it, but I can't do this to my family again" he said softly and Lily blinked back tears. He leaned down towards her and sighed.

"In a perfect world we could just be together, but it's not" he murmured and she shrugged.

"I told your mother nothing would happen, that we're just friends" she replied and he nodded.

"We're more than that and you know it" he told her, his lips inches from hers. She didn't know what to say, his face was so close she could smell his breath on hers, it smelt like waffles. She smiled to herself, tempted to steal a kiss but was she too slow. He got in first before she could even attempt to.

James' lips collided with hers eagerly as if he'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. He kissed her earnestly, their lips barely parting, afraid of the moment that came time for them to separate. It was fervent and avid, this single moment of glee and contentment all thrown into one with the thought of it being the last one, the end to this newly discovered feeling of happiness, desire and passion. James' hands lifted from her waist and grabbed both sides of her head in an effort to pull her even closer and ensure that she couldn't pull away until the time came for them to part and finally breathe. Lily's were wrapped around his back as if depending on him to keep her upright, almost as if she thought she might collapse on the ground, but also in a way to never let him go.

James was the first to pull away, his eyes still closed, he did not want to see the expression of longing on Lily's face because he knew his held the same yearning for her lips once more. Lily stepped back and pushed her hair from her eyes and turned from him, looking anywhere but at him.

"Lily..."

"We shouldn't have done that, James" she said slowly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

He shrugged and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"I wanted to, and so did you".

She sighed and turned back to face him, an annoyed expression on her face.

"This can't happen. I'm not going to go behind your mother's back and lie about it to her-"

"I'm not asking you to, because I can't do that either. Aaron's counting on me to be a better version of myself and I need to be for his sake".

"Then what are we going to do?" she asked, her eyes staring up at him.

"I don't know. I really don't know" he responded wiping her tears away for her.

Lily sighed yet again. This had gotten very messy and now it couldn't be avoided. Something had to be done and fast, before hearts started breaking.

**

* * *

**

A/N:

**Well I kept changing the ending unsure which one I liked more, they just kept getting mushy and I didn't want a clichéd, mushy ending to this chapter. But I like this one; it just means I have to start on the next chapter ;) **

**It might take awhile for the next one, I have my very big IMPORTANT final exams coming up and I should be studying right now. I SHOULD BE. But hopefully it won't be too long.**

**Thank you guys so much for reviewing and reading these chapters, they were all very supportive :)**

**Please take the time to review; I need to know what you all think.**

**Sorry about the wait :/ **

**Love always,**

LilyHeartsJames _**xoxoxoxoxox**_


	14. Chapter 14

**HAPPY 3 YEARS BIRTHDAY, James and the Baby-Sitter!**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To the waiting reviewers. I'm sorry but thank you for being patiently impatient with me :)_

**Notes: **_I only just realised that on the third of March this year, it has been three years since I first started this story. Time flies when you're writing stories and dealing with life in general! Okay so it's been a long time since my last update. I'm sorry. I moved and then started TAFE and homework has been hectic. Like rape hectic. It literally forces itself on me -_- But I now have a trial version of word so I don't know how long it will last :/ But please enjoy the chapter. I wasn't really sure where to take it but hey; I'll just wing it ;)_

LAST CHAPTER:

**The awkward silence continued until they were three blocks away when James grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.**

**"I'm sick of avoiding it. We need to talk about what happened yesterday when you kissed me" he said straight out and she blushed.**

**"You kissed me back" she retorted and he shrugged.**

**"Irrelevant. Was it really to surprise me? Because it didn't feel like it after awhile..."**

**Lily blushed deeper and sighed.**

**"At first it was. But then I just... I liked kissing you" she admitted her face turning a beetroot red colour.**

**The grin on James' face was ecstatic.**

**"I was hoping you would say that, because I feel the same way" he responded and she cleared her throat and he continued.**

**"Lately I've been feeling these weird... feelings whenever I'm around you; I think about you all the time and it drives me insane. I dream about you, I often catch myself staring at you and I just feel like there's more to it then I try to tell myself. I like you, Lily" he explained in a low voice and Lily looked up at him, lost in thought.**

**James ran his hand through his hair agitatedly and made it look even messier than it was.**

**"Say something, anything" he begged and she wiped her eyes.**

**"I feel the same way, James, I do and I never meant for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this" she whispered and he stared at her with a deep frown upon his facial expression.**

**"I don't know if I can ignore it, but I can't do this to my family again" he said softly and Lily blinked back tears. He leaned down towards her and sighed.**

**"In a perfect world we could just be together, but it's not" he murmured and she shrugged.**

**"I told your mother nothing would happen, that we're just friends" she replied and he nodded.**

**"We're more than that and you know it" he told her, his lips inches from hers. She didn't know what to say, his face was so close she could smell his breath on hers, it smelt like waffles. She smiled to herself, tempted to steal a kiss but was she too slow. He got in first before she could even attempt to.**

**James' lips collided with hers eagerly as if he'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. He kissed her earnestly, their lips barely parting, afraid of the moment that came time for them to separate. It was fervent and avid, this single moment of glee and contentment all thrown into one with the thought of it being the last one, the end to this newly discovered feeling of happiness, desire and passion. James' hands lifted from her waist and grabbed both sides of her head in an effort to pull her even closer and ensure that she couldn't pull away until the time came for them to part and finally breathe. Lily's were wrapped around his back as if depending on him to keep her upright, almost as if she thought she might collapse on the ground, but also in a way to never let him go.**

**James was the first to pull away, his eyes still closed, he did not want to see the expression of longing on Lily's face because he knew his held the same yearning for her lips once more. Lily stepped back and pushed her hair from her eyes and turned from him, looking anywhere but at him.**

**"Lily..."**

**"We shouldn't have done that, James" she said slowly, tears sliding down her cheeks.**

**He shrugged and wrapped his arms around her from behind.**

**"I wanted to, and so did you".**

**She sighed and turned back to face him, an annoyed expression on her face.**

**"This can't happen. I'm not going to go behind your mother's back and lie about it to her-"**

**"I'm not asking you to, because I can't do that either. Aaron's counting on me to be a better version of myself and I need to be for his sake".**

**"Then what are we going to do?" she asked, her eyes staring up at him.**

**"I don't know. I really don't know" he responded wiping her tears away for her.**

**Lily sighed yet again. This had gotten very messy and now it couldn't be avoided. Something had to be done and fast, before hearts started breaking.**

* * *

Lily hated everything about going to the Potter's that morning. She couldn't bring herself to even look at Mrs. Potter when she arrived for her sitting job. Not that Mrs. Potter minded, she was once again in a rush so she barely noticed. Lily made her way slowly into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of apple juice and sighed. She leaned against the bench with her eyes tightly closed. If she could have one wish, she would beg to take back the kiss (or kisses, she reminded herself) with James. Her heart burned with guilt and she felt sick to the stomach; she had betrayed Mrs. Potter and Aaron's trust. She had done the very thing she didn't want to do.

Well she had wanted to. Of course she wanted to. That boy had a way of making her feel better on a bad day; he could always put a smile on her face. He made her heart flutter just at the sound of his voice. But she told his mother nothing would happen. And she had initiated that first kiss that blew this whole thing out of proportion. It was all her fault.

"You know dwelling on it isn't going to make it go away" a voice called over to her from the doorway, causing her eyes to snap open in a moment of fear and her glass almost slipped from her hand.

James.

In only a pair of light grey track pants. And no t-shirt. With bulging abs and protruding muscles. His hair as messy as always and his smile as wide as any other day. His hazel eyes alight with joy at the sight of the redhead.

"James" she whispered and he gave her a small, sympathetic smile. It was all he could do to stop himself from striding towards her and sweeping her into his arms.

"How are you?" he asked instead making his way towards the fridge and pulling the apple juice and pouring it into a cup. He put the container of juice back into the fridge and turned to face her, entwining his fingers around the cup.

"How can you be so at ease with this?" she asked, her tone somewhat annoyed.

"Trust me; I'm not. I'm just trying to make it easy" he murmured and he saw her eyes well up.

"Lily…" he whispered placing his glass onto the counter and pulling her into his strong arms where she felt she was going to melt. He rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her ear, causing her eyes to flutter closed.

"Don't be sad" he begged her and she pulled back and looked at him, wiping her eyes as she did.

She sniffed loudly and sighed.

"I can't look at you without wanting to be with you. And I can't be with you without risking my job and my relationships with your family. So how am I supposed to feel?" she asked rhetorically and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the back door shut.

James sighed and leaned against the bench and pondered on his thoughts. He needed serious advice.

* * *

"Remus!" James hurried over to the fireplace and pulled his friend into a hug, confusing him. His shaggy brown hair hung in his eyes so that it was difficult to see what his eyes were saying but James knew Remus was worried.

"James, what's wrong? You sounded upset" he stated pulling away and holding him at arm's length. Sirius stood in the doorway with a frown on his face and sat on the couch, patting the seat beside him for James to sit. Remus remained standing.

"I want to be with Lily" he blurted and their eyes widened and Sirius grinned.

"It's about time! You tried to ignore it for so long and-"

"Does she know?" Remus interrupted looking from one friend to another.

"She wants to be with me too" James whispered and was met by two pairs of concerned eyes.

"The why aren't you snogging her right at this moment?" Sirius asked indignantly and James sighed.

"Because if we do, then Lily will lose her job. And Aaron won't want anything to do with her. And after a long time of trying to gain hi trust we can't do that. And Aaron will hate me. And Mum will tell me that she knew this would happen and-"

"Stop. If you want to be with her, you need to talk to your mother and tell her how you're feeling. You need to explain to Aaron that it's going to be different this time" Remus began explaining but James cut across him.

"You and I both know that Aaron doesn't care how different it is. I have more think about than just me and Lily is a part of this too. She doesn't want to jeopardise what she has with Mum and Aaron. And-"

"You and Lily are meant to be James. She was sent here for you" Sirius piped up, surprising everyone including himself.

"Sirius; we can't. It's just… Too complicated" he mumbled sadly and Sirius rolled his grey eyes.

"That's bullshit. That's only an excuse if you want to break up with someone and trust me; I've used it many times" he told him matter of factly and James shook his head.

"It's complicated, Padfoot. It just is. I can't do it".

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Then why did you ask me to come over?"

James sighed.

"Because I need help keeping away from her" he replied sadly and Remus frowned at him.

"You can't avoid her, Prongs" he muttered and James nodded.

"I know, and I'm not. I'm just trying to stop myself from doing something I shouldn't" he answered staring at his hands. Sirius patted him gently on the shoulder and sighed.

"So what do you want to do today?"

James shrugged. "Anything" he whispered and Remus sat down on the other side of James, staring out of the window.

* * *

"Hi, Lily" Aaron greeted the redhead and her stomach twisted and knotted in guilt. She attempted to smile and sat down at the table.

"Hey Aaron. How are you?"

He sat beside her and smiled.

"I'm okay. Is something wrong?" he asked her and his eyes narrowed. "Did you and James have a fight? Because he's sad too" he added, a look of worry flashing across his face.

"No Aaron, we're fine. I just couldn't sleep last night, that's all" she answered. It wasn't a complete lie; she had actually stayed up for hours thinking about James.

"Are you having nightmares too?" he asking, causing her to frown at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You promise you won't tell anyone?" he asked holding up his pinkie finger to her. She stared at it, her heart sinking. He really did trust her. And she had kissed his brother, the absolute last thing he ever wanted to happen.

She took hold of his pinkie with her own. "I promise" she replied and waited for him to continue.

"Jessie asked me not to tell anyone. But she hasn't been able to sleep a whole night without having nightmares so she sleeps in my bed after Mum tucks her in" he enlightened her and she stared at him.

"What exactly is she afraid of?"

Aaron sighed. "She knows someone broke in. She was listening when you and Remus were talking before we got to your house. She keeps thinking they'll come back but Dad fixed all the barriers and added more but she's really, really frightened" he mumbled and Lily sighed and leaned her arm on the table and rested her chin in her palm, thinking.

"We shouldn't have said that in front of you kids, I'm sorry" she apologised smiling sadly at him and he shrugged.

"Dad will find them, he always does" he reassured her and Lily couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face.

"I have an idea; why don't you Jessie and I camp in the lounge room tonight? We'll set up a tent and she'll feel a lot better with us both there" she suggested and his face brightened immediately.

"OUTSIDE! This is going to be awesome!" he exclaimed, pumping the air with his fist.

Lily grinned at him and stood up. "I'll send your Mum an owl and let her know, okay" she informed him and he nodded and quickly ran up the stairs to find Jessie. Lily sighed and grabbed a piece or parchment, a quill and bottle of ink from the cupboard and began to write a note for Mrs. Potter.

When she was done, she rolled it up and the grey owl that was perched on the stand beside the door stretched out its leg automatically. It was attached within a few minutes and the owl hopped onto Lily's shoulder as she walked over to the back door and opened it, allowing the owl to fly out into the sky, soaring as high as it could and soon was hidden by the trees.

She smiled and noticed James, Sirius and Remus sitting at the table talking animatedly. She smiled, and despite the fact that she didn't feel like being around James, she made her way over and sat beside Sirius.

They smiled and greeted her kindly and James did his best to smile genuinely. Lily knew he was hurting, and she knew that he was trying to not make it awkward. But it didn't help that this was followed by silence.

"Where's the kids?" Remus asked, breaking the ice bravely.

"Aaron was inside but I think he went upstairs to wake Jessie up. We're going to camp out here tonight if it's okay with Katherine" she informed them and James couldn't help himself but grin.

"They're going to love that; they haven't been camping in ages. We can help you set the tent up later if you like" he offered and she smiled back at him.

"I'd like that, thanks" she answered and turned to Sirius. "What happened to you at the wedding?"

Sirius gave her a small smile.

"I left with a girl. Roseanne her name was" he replied with a shrug. "She was pretty nice" he murmured and Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Over Sera?"

Sirius chuckled.

"There's no point being hung up on someone who doesn't want you anymore" he answered and Lily nodded thoughtfully.

"Was Roseanne the one with bright pink hair?" she asked and he nodded.

"She was definitely different. She's a vegetarian, thinks that animals have rights and likes to protest against tree cutters because not only are they endangering animals and taking away their homes but they're also damaging the human oxygen system" he told her and Remus smirked.

"That's quite a character. I didn't think you would go for someone who hugs trees and fights for the environment. She sounds interesting though" he added as an afterthought and Sirius nodded.

"She's funny too, and appreciates good humour. Her aunt is good friends with Pete's new Step-Dad. But back off, Moony. I'm seeing her again tonight" he wriggled his eyebrows and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Of course you are. You're not actually dating her though are you?" he asked with a concerned look upon his features.

"No, too soon. Just going to the three broomsticks. She's going to be in sixth year this year. Ravenclaw Prefect" he added and James' head snapped upwards.

"She's one of the ones who kept throwing notes at you in the library that one time wasn't she?"

Sirius nodded and grinned ecstatically and then Lily's eyes lit up.

"That's right! And she went out with David Fenton last year and then she got into a fight over him with her best friend because her best friend liked him too" Lily exclaimed and they all chuckled and James shook his head.

"I remember Moony coming back to the dormitory and telling us he had to take ten points of Ravenclaw each because they started pulling one another's hair in the corridor after breakfast because Dave winked at Roseanne… I'll never forget her friends face" he shook with laughter at the memory and Remus smirked.

"I got scratched on the side of the face remember? They have claws worse than my-" Remus stopped short and blushed.

"Than what, Remus?" Lily asked frowning and James was the one to answer.

"His rabbit, Bruce. He's a furry little problem that one" he said and Sirius snorted causing Lily to give him a disgusted look before turning her attention on Remus.

"Really? What does he look like?" she asked curiously and Remus cleared his throat before answering.

"He's err, white and fluffy" he responded and she smiled, waiting for him to continue.

"What breed is your rabbit?" Sirius asked quickly, trying not to crack up laughing.

Remus' eyes narrowed at him and his face became heated as he realised Lily was waiting for his answer.

"He has some light brownie orangey colour on his face too… Err… Like on his ears and nose and stuff…"

Lily smiled. "He sounds cute, but that's not a breed" she said giggling and Remus' face went a darker shade of red.

"I'm not exactly sure what breed it is. My parents got him for me for my thirteenth birthday" he included, seeming to become more confident.

"Why don't you bring him to Hogwarts?"

Sirius squawked in protest.

"That smelly thing isn't staying in a room with me! He smells disgusting; I already have to put up with Wormtail's B.O" he shuddered and James sniggered just as their grey owl came flying down over top of them. It dropped a note in Lily's lap and flew into the house through the kitchen window.

Lily opened the letter and smiled at its content.

_Lily,_

_David and I were hoping to have the house to ourselves for the night, so we were hoping the children and the boys could stay with you for the night. You could camp there if that's alright._

_Let me know a.s.a.p._

_Katherine._

Lily chuckled and looked up.

"It looks like you guys and the kids are camping at my house tonight" she informed them and Sirius laughed at her.

"I don't think so. I don't do camping. Besides, I'll most likely be at Roseanne's" he explained and flicked his hair over his shoulder and James rolled his eyes this time.

"Why's that?" he asked looking at Lily and her face turned a deep crimson.

"Uh, your parents kind of wanted to be alone tonight" she mumbled and the colour drained from James' face.

"Now that's disgusting. Seriously, that is really foul. How old do they think they are?" he asked no one in particular and Sirius pretended to vomit.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be intimate; they have spent a long time away from one another" Remus argued and James stared at him incredulously.

"Nothing wrong with it? They're acting like a pair of lovesick teenagers!" he yelled and Lily shook her head.

"Honestly, James. If they weren't doing that then you, Aaron and Jessie wouldn't be here right now".

James glared at her.

"That was years ago! My parents don't have sex!"

"Did Mummy and Daddy's stork run away?" Jessie's small voice asked from behind him and James, being shocked, opened and closed his mouth several times before Lily answered.

"No, Jessie he hasn't. He's just gone away for a bit to help another family" she told her, giving her an encouraging smile.

Jessie seemed to brighten up and smiled, sitting on Lily's lap.

"Okay then. Does he help lots of people?"

James nodded and winked at her.

"All the time".

Sirius raised his eyebrows and glanced at James.

"What the hell does 'the stork' have to do with se-"

"That's his name. Isn't that right James and Lily?" Aaron asked with a cheeky, irritating smirk upon his face.

Lily frowned at him. He knew exactly how sticky this situation was.

"Ah, yeah of course it is" she answered and he grinned evilly, and Lily didn't like it. He was a lot more like James than she thought.

"Maybe Mum and Dad will have a conversation with the stork tonight" he added and Jessie's eyes widened in fear.

"NO! THEY CAN'T!" she yelled and then turned on her heel and ran inside, slamming the back door behind her.

"Good one, Aaron" James snapped glaring at him. Aaron shrugged and was about to go over to the broom shed but turned and faced Lily instead.

"I heard you say we get to camp at your house tonight" he exclaimed with a huge grin upon his face.

Lily nodded and yet again the pumped the air with his fist.

"AWESOME!" He yelled and bolted over to the shed, unlocked it and made his way inside it. He emerged a few seconds later with his prized broomstick, swung his leg over it and zoomed into the air with a large amount of speed.

Remus smiled and sighed, leaning his chin in the palm of his hand on the table. "It's a nice day today" he commented, allowing his eyes to drift over towards the trees.

Sirius gave him the weirdest look possible.

"Really, Remus? You're talking about the weather? Of all things, the weather had to be what came out of your mouth?"

Sirius shook his head and looked at him sadly.

"That's a shame".

Remus rolled his eyes in response.

"I should get going; I told Mum I'd help her out with lunch. Some friends are coming around" he informed them and got to his feet.

"We'll see you tomorrow?" James asked standing up also and patting him on the back.

Remus gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Mum would like the company for dinner. I'll see you both then. See you, Lily" he added and backed up a few steps. He waved before turning left disappearing into thin air.

Sirius suddenly stretched and yawned. He too followed suit and got up from the table just as James sat down again.

"I'd best get ready actually. I'm going into Diagon Alley to shop for some clothes" he told them happily and flicked his hair over his shoulder again.

"Don't you have enough clothes as it is?" James asked and Sirius chuckled.

"I can never have enough clothes. Have fun tonight. Bye guys" he said waving at them and turned and headed inside.

James then raised his hazel coloured eyes to meet Lily's emerald green ones and smiled shyly.

"I guess it's just us now, huh?"

Lily shrugged and smiled at him in return.

"I guess it is. Are you okay with this?" she suddenly asked and James' smile slipped from his features and he frowned.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and looked at the table and began picking at it.

"Going back and just… Being friends. Like before."

James took a while to answer, so she glanced upwards fearfully and caught him watching her.

"Too be honest? I don't think we can go back" he said and Lily quickly averted her eyes back down to the table and tried her hardest not to cry.

James watched her pitifully and reached out a hand and gently lifted her chin so that their eyes (hers were sparkling with tears) met.

"But we can definitely move forward" he murmured and grinned when Lily let out a breath of relief and watched her wipe her eyes.

"That wasn't funny" she told him and he used his thumb to catch another tear and inclined his head to the side.

"You're beautiful, Lily" he whispered honestly and her face blushed a bright red and she ducked her head so that he couldn't witness it, but he already had.

"You know that if I could, then I would be with you, don't you?"

She nodded, looking back up at him.

"And I know that you would be with me if you had the chance" he continued and she nodded again.

"You have no idea how much I would like that" she admitted and wiped more tears with her long sleeved grey shirt.

"Trust me; I do" he answered and despite the fact that it hurt, Lily laughed.

"Look at what we've gotten ourselves into" she added and he too laughed along with her.

"Who knew I wouldn't actually attempt to break the rules?" he asked and Lily suddenly turned serious.

"You kind of already have" she reminded him and he smiled and shrugged.

"I'd love to again" he practically purred, softly pushing her hair behind her ears and she rested her cheek in the palm of his hand and he caressed it gently.

"I dare you" she replied, a mischievous glint in her eye and James actually burst out laughing.

"Really, Lily? I mean, Aaron is outside with us as well. I mean, I know you just want to throw me on to this table and rip my t-shirt off but please, keep it g-rated, love" he shot back, surprising her.

"Please, James, keep your "bonerific" fantasies to yourself" she retaliated and James was shocked into silence.

"That's not fair! You can't use that against me" he moaned and she smirked back at him.

"I can use whatever I want" she replied and he pretended to be grumpy and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sook" she commented and he poked his tongue out at her.

"I'm going to go see if Jessie is okay, you coming?" he asked and Lily nodded and together they got to their feet and walked inside together.

* * *

Jessie was lying on her stomach on her bedroom floor playing with dolls when James and Lily found her. She was brushing one's hair and had the rest all ready for a tea party.

"Hello James and Lily" she greeted them without even looking up from her dolls. Lily found a seat next to her on the floor and Jessie passed her a doll with long chocolate brown shaggy hair and hazel coloured eyes. She was wearing a beautiful frilly lime green and white dress and had a small smile on her face.

"She's beautiful" Lily complimented and Jessie beamed up at her.

"Daddy brought it back for me. Her name is Mary Jane. And this one" she pointed at one with blonde plaits with bright blue eyes and a pink dress. "This one's name is Ally Jane" she added and sat her back down.

She grabbed another with long black hair slicked back into a bun with green eyes similar to Lily's.

"Her name is Sarah Jane" she informed them and passed this one to James who looked at it briefly and sat it back down at the small doll's table.

"They all sound like Cindy Jane, don't they" he commented and she nodded and smiled.

"They are all sisters; except for Cindy Jane. They are her cousins" she said happily and cuddled Ally Jane close to her chest.

"Daddy says that I'm his girl" she added, inclining her head in Lily's direction.

"He loves you very much, Jess. And so does Mum" James reminded her and Jessie nodded slowly.

"I know…" The small girl trailed off with a devastated look upon her face.

"What's the matter, Jessie?" Lily asked her and Jessie heaved a giant sigh.

"If Mummy and Daddy ask the stork to give them another baby then they will love the baby more than me" she mumbled and Lily and James' eyes met before James slid down beside his sister and pulled her into his lap.

"You know, Jessie, that's not true. You'll always be their little girl no matter what" he told her quietly so that Lily had to strain her ears to hear it. Jessie swivelled towards his face and shook her head.

"But they will spend more time with the new baby. And will make me share all of my toys and I don't want to" she continued and James chuckled at her.

"You when I found out that Aaron was going to be in our family I was really angry at first. I was used to being the only child, but then when I got used to him and started spending time with him I was more than excited to have a little brother. And I was absolutely ecstatic when I found out I was going to have a little sister."

Jessie's frown increased and she sighed agitatedly.

"But I don't want to share Mummy and Daddy with the new baby; I share them with you!" she announced and James shook his head and grinned at her.

"You know, Jessie, Mum and Dad aren't having another baby; we were just joking about it. But even if they did, you know, if it was a little sister you would be able to brush her hair, play with her, teach her new things, and spend time with Mum and Dad together. If they had another baby then it would have to rely on them for everything and you can just tell them what you want. Plus, there's perks being the oldest. You get to do everything first" he explained and Jessie's frown seemed to fade away from her face.

"Mummy said that when I'm seven" (she held up seven fingers) "that I can get my ears pierced" she told them proudly and puffed out her chest a little bit. "The baby would be too little".

James nodded at her.

"That's right, the baby would have to wait until it's all grown up" he assured her and Jessie began to smile.

"Having a little brother or sister isn't a bad thing, is it Jessie? I'm a little sister" Lily informed her and Jessie giggled.

"I guess not. I will be able to show her how to play with toys and when I get too big she will be allowed to have them" she replied and James gave her a cuddle.

"See? It's not such a bad thing. But I'm pretty sure Mum and Dad aren't going to have another baby" James murmured and she nodded and turned back around and began brushing the doll's hair again.

"I feel like a PB and J sandwich" Jessie thought aloud and Lily grinned.

"I'll make you one, Jess" she offered and got up from the floor and brushed off her black skinny leg jeans.

"I'll help you; I'm feeling a bit hungry too" James added and sat Jessie on the floor beside him and followed Lily out of the room.

They made their way into the kitchen together and began getting the sandwich ingredients and Lily tried her best not to look at him. He had been so sweet with Jessie; she just wanted to give him a huge hug.

It was as if James had read her mind and he took the butter knife out of her hand and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her.

"Everything is going to be okay; we're going to be at Hogwarts soon. You won't have to baby-sit anymore" he whispered into her ear and she pulled back the slightest bit and stared at him with wide eyes and he grinned.

"I didn't think of that…" she murmured and he shrugged.

"Neither did I, until just now. So what do you say? Can you wait that long?" James asked and Lily laughed, trying hard not to let tears of joy slip from her eyes.

"Of course I can, if you still want to be with me then. You might get a bit embarrassed of dating 'the brain' in front of everyone" she replied teasingly and then suddenly realised a hidden fear she'd never even thought about until now. Would he want everyone to know they were together? Could she handle being his secret girlfriend?

James actually turned a deep, dark shade of red and looked at the ground, counting the holes in his shoes.

"You know I'm not very proud of who I used to be, and it's because of you I'm not that person anymore. I want to be with you, and I don't care what those judgemental pricks at that school will think" he told her happily and Lily just stared at him in shock, not expecting that reaction.

"I'm not that immature little boy anymore, Lils" he promised her and she nodded, biting back a smile.

"Whaaaat?" he asked suspisciously.

Lily couldn't help herself; she chuckled.

"You might not be little anymore, but you are still a big immature boy now" she sniggered and he just shook his head.

"You're going to regret that you know" he told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Please; as if I would" she replied and he grinned mischievously, a mysterious glint in his eye making her question her last statement.

He lunged towards her and she shrieked, seeking refuge behind the large kitchen table, but James had a tea-towel and began spinning it around in circles, making it skinnier.

"James; don't you dare" she warned him but the smile didn't fall from his face. Instead, he began to move towards her so that she had to run in the opposite direction.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!" she shouted shrilly and he laughed manically which frightened her slightly. Was he crazy?

Before Lily could turn around and flee from the room, James advanced upon her and caught her arm and pushed her against the wall.

He breathed heavily down upon her with a triumphant smirk on his face, and Lily's chest heaved up and down slowly, trying to catch her breath. His eyes sparkled playfully at her and she couldn't help but smile back at him. He looked quite cute, in an evil kind of way.

"I'm going to whip your toes" he told her and brandished the tea-towel so that she shrieked loudly.

"No, no please don't. JAMES!" she yelled and tried to curl her toes up so he couldn't get them.

"I wouldn't really do that to you, Lily" he told her and she raised her eyebrows at him. "Okay, maybe I would but seeing as you're freaking out about it, and you're absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, I won't" he murmured and watched her blush sharply.

He laughed softly and couldn't help himself; he leaned down and caught her lips with his own, surprising her. She didn't pull away however; she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down much closer to her, their noses just inches away from one another's. Their kiss continued, much deeper as James' tongue grazed Lily's lips softly, begging entrance into her mouth.

However, when they parted soon after, trying to catch their breaths', they didn't notice James' father standing in the other doorway with raised eyebrows. He disappeared quickly before either realised; vowing to have a word with James later when Lily wasn't around…

* * *

**A/N: Oh, yeah. That's right. I ended it on a cliffhanger. Don't shoot me. 'Cause if you do, you won't find out what happens next. **

**Anyways, this chapter wasn't exactly planned out. I just created it as I went along. I didn't really know how to get from last chapter to here, but I don't mind this. Because now, shit is going to go down and it will make for a far more interesting next chapter.**

**Well, like I said; very sorry for the delay. I'm ditching homework right now just to finish this. So I hope you enjoyed reading this and leave me some reviews.**

**It was my best friend, Rocket's birthday the other day. He turned three. He gets a mention because he's the same age as this story and I miss him incredibly. Anywhoo, until next chapter;**

**Love always,**

**LilyHeartsJames xoxoxoxox **


	15. Chapter 15

**James and the Baby-Sitter!**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_Rocket Eugene, My Best Friend. Missing you, buddy. Hope you had a good birthday wherever you are ;)_

**Notes: **_Okay so this update will be quicker. I finished some homework (could be starting some other assignments) but you guys know how it is. "I'll do it later". Besides, I wanted to get another chapter out to you guys. I want to start writing up the new idea I've got into my mind; however, I don't want to be tied up with two stories at once when I'm not the best/fastest updater. I am quite excited about it though. Further down the track I'll start writing the first chapter for it (tomorrow possibly) and hopefully get that chapter out to you when I finish up with J&TBS. _

_**A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED, FAVOURITED AND ALERTED THIS STORY (AND MYSELF). I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME. THEY MADE MY DAY :)**_

**AND I WOULD ****NEVER**** ABANDON THIS STORY! TO THOSE WHO WORRIED. Life in the outside world just gets in the way sometimes, and when it does get to that demanding point, you have to step back and face it for a while. **

**But I'm back. And updates won't be all the time as like I said, I get raped by homework. But I'll try. Mostly weekends in between homework I SHOULD be doing beforehand :P**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

James, Lily and the two children had an eventual afternoon. They packed bags ready to go camping at Lily's house; they packed pyjamas and spare clothes, toys, books and marshmallows. They even packed a spare box of matches just in case Lily's father had run out. They also piled their pillows and sleeping bags into the boot of Lily's car and then the kids buckled up in the back of the seat.

"Don't forget to tell the stork that I want a baby sister!" Jessie called out to her parents out of the car widow. They gave James and Lily odd looks, but they just shrugged it off and said goodbye to his parents; David seeming rather awkward when he said goodbye, and then Lily reversed out of the driveway. James leaned over and beeped the horn, causing the kids in the back to laugh and they zoomed off, eagerly awaiting their camping trip. Lily's father had seemed happy to allow them to camp out in the backyard, claiming that he missed the days he would do that with Lily and Petunia. And (he struggled to add), their Mother.

Lily had received several letters from her since she had called. She hadn't bothered to open them; she left them on the bench for Petunia to claim. She didn't want to know anything about her Mother's life; she didn't want to hold her back any more than she already had. It hurt, deep down inside but as she reminded herself; this was what her Mother had wanted when she left. A new life. And unfortunately, that new life didn't hold a place for Lily or her father. And maybe Petunia wanted to still be in her life but in Lily's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to forgive her Mother. And she didn't want to either.

James had tried to talk Lily around; that maybe she could just see what her Mother wanted to say to her but Lily wouldn't have a bar of it. She wanted nothing more to do with the Mother who had practically abandoned her.

When they arrived at Lily's house, her Father was sitting at the table sipping on his coffee reading over a formal looking letter.

"What's that?" Lily asked, kissing him on the top of the head. He sighed before answering.

"Divorce papers; from your Mother" he murmured and James suddenly became awkward standing there listening to this when his family were whole.

"What are-"

"Jessie, why don't you, me and Aaron go and get the stuff from Lily's car?" James cut in before she could ask Lily's father what exactly divorce papers were.

An excited grin replaced the puzzled look upon Jessie's face and then she bounded towards the door with Aaron following closely behind. Lily passed James the keys with an appreciative smile and he winked at her before walking out to the car.

Mr. Evans pulled a pen from his pocket and signed something on the bottom and Lily put a hand on her Father's shoulder.

"Dad-"

"Its fine, sweetheart. If it's freedom that she wants, then she can have it. She won't be able to if she's tied to me" he interrupted and put the form back into the envelope.

"It states that I get custody of you. Now I know you're of age in your world, but here, it's until you're eighteen. Now I know that you're eighteen now, but you're still living at home. You can still do whatever you want though" he explained and she nodded and gave him a hug.

"I'm really sorry, Dad. I wish this all turned out differently" she whispered but he shrugged.

"All we can do now is move on with our lives. It's in the past now" he said standing up and pecking her on the cheek. "I'm going to head down to the post office, do you mind if I borrow your car? I'm going to pick up some sausages and hamburgers for the barbeque tonight."

She nodded.

"I'll just go help get the stuff out of the car" she said and he went and put his mug in the sink and washed it out.

Lily made her way out into the front yard and found Jessie with her sleeping bag slung over her shoulder and a pillow in the other hand. Aaron was carrying two sleeping bags and two pillows and Lily couldn't help but chuckle as James came into view from behind the car carrying some blankets, a tent, three bags full of clothes, toys and books, and Jessie's wide brimmed camping hat decked out with feathers in his mouth.

Lily couldn't help but laugh as she pulled the hat gently out of his teeth and a couple of bags. She then found the marshmallows sitting in the front of the car and pulled them out as well and locked her car before they each headed through Lily's house and out into the backyard.

It was still afternoon, and they needed to set up the tent first before everything else. She gave her Father the keys when he passed and he smiled at her.

"I'll see you in a bit" he called over his shoulder and she said see you later and then helped James pull the tent poles out of the bag.

They looked at each other, then to the tent lying on the ground, to the poles in their hands and back to each other.

"Do you have any idea how to set this thing up?" Lily asked him and James gaped at her.

"What?" she asked after noticing his astonished face.

"You're a Muggleborn. Don't you know how to set up tents?" he asked and Lily tried not to be offended.

"I haven't been camping since I was Aaron's age" she snapped in an annoyed tone and James froze.

"Lily, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit surprised" he apologised and her face softened.

"It's okay. Let's look at the instructions" she said and James suddenly put up a hand and she ceased kneeling down the tent bag.

"We can just use magic to put the tent up" he told her excitedly and she straightened up and put her hands on her hips.

"That kind of defeats the purpose of camping though; putting your tent up together as a family makes it fun" she explained and James chuckled.

"Trust me; I know. I haven't gone camping since Aaron's age either when Dad's work started getting more… Err, time consuming. But you don't know how to put it up, and I don't know how to put it up so it would really take a huge weight off of our shoulders" he explained and Lily glanced over at Jessie and Aaron who were fighting over her swing that was attached to the old tree.

"I'm oldest so I should swing first" Aaron told her bossily and Jessie opened and closed her mouth indignantly.

"Ladies first!" She reminded him and Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, Jess. It doesn't count for you" he snarled and she gasped.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Lily hurried over to them and stood in between them; Jessie looked as if she was going to pounce on her brother and begin attacking him with her fists.

"Stop, now. You guys need to learn to take turns. When my sister and I were kids, one of us would sit on the swing, see who could swing the highest and then jump off to see who could get the furthest so that the other one got a turn to do it. Now, I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. What is it?"

Jessie frowned, narrowing her eyebrows and squishing up her face in thought and appeared as though she was constipated. Lily tried not to Laugh as Aaron shot out; "Three" and Jessie shrieked.

"No, no! I'm not ready" she exclaimed and Lily smiled.

"It's okay, Aaron didn't get it anyway. What number Jessie?"

"Um… Six?"

"Two. Aaron was closest so he goes first" she replied and Jessie sighed.

"It's okay, Jess. You'll get your turn" she promised and then walked back over to James who had been watching the ordeal the entire time.

"Okay, magic up this tent" she mumbled and James chuckled and with a flick of his wand it was up in a second.

"You know, that does actually take a huge weight off my shoulders" she added and he smiled at her.

"See, I'm not just a pretty face" he told her with a sleazy wink and she rolled her eyes at him, making him smile at her.

"About before? With, you know. We shouldn't have-"

"I know. Let's just call it a slip up. And it won't happen again. But don't deny you didn't enjoy it" James jumped in before she could finish and she blushed before turning away.

"I'm going to set up the sleeping bags, okay?" she told him, avoiding his statement.

He smirked to himself as he watched her kneel down into the tent and begin unrolling the sleeping bags and setting them up side by side.

"Hey, James would you like to get my sleeping bag out of the cupboard under the stairs? It's the purple one" she asked and he nodded.

"Sure, I'll be back in a minute" he assured her and made his way inside without glancing back.

He paused in front of the cupboard and turned the doorknob, opening it slowly. There wasn't a light inside the room, so James lit his wand with a simple "_Lumos_" and it lit the cupboard instantly. His eyes caught sight of a family photo; a lot of them. They mostly consisted of who James assumed was Lily's Mother. This must have been the work of her heartbroken Father, obviously not wanting to be reminded of Lily's Mother everywhere he went in the house.

As he looked at the photo of the four of them, Lily, Petunia and their parents, he found himself feeling confused. Her Mother had Lily's red hair, but not her eyes. Her eyes were a deep, brown; like Petunia's. Lily's on the other hand, were stunning. Emerald green and almond shaped, just like her Father's. The thing that really confused James was that Lily's Mother was smiling, genuinely. She didn't look as though she was bored with her life or with the people in it; she looked truly happy. She beamed radiantly at the camera, and Lily, who was standing in front of her Father with his hand resting on her shoulder, looked about fifteen.

This photo would have to be a couple of years old; and contrasted with the other picture of the four of them that looked like it was taken later than the one he'd just looked at. Lily definitely looked older, and her Father had thinner hair. Petunia's hair was now brown, whereas in the other picture it was blonde; she looked older than her usual self. Lily's red hair was down and cascading down her back; it was before she'd had a fringe. Their Mother on the other hand appeared the oldest; looking down trodden and pale, her features obviously lacking make up unlike in the other photo. It showed she had lost pride in herself. She wasn't smiling, but glaring into the camera as though she was being forced against her will to be a part of that photo.

James was about to turn it over to check for a date when he heard a voice behind him.

"That one was taken at Christmas of Lily's sixth year. A few months before her Mother left, which was when Lily's sixth year ended. Even then she looked like she couldn't stand being here."

James turned around quickly, startled and found Lily's Father standing behind him looking grim as he stared down at the photo.

"And this one?" James asked indicating to the happier, younger version of the family.

"The summer holidays after Lily's fifth year. It was better back then; we were a whole family, we were full. Until she decided we weren't enough for her, we weren't enough to maintain her happiness. And we could have been if she hadn't run off with my secretary" he added the last part bitterly and James' jaw dropped open as he stared disbelievingly at him.

"Needless to say, I lost my wife and my secretary the same day. And my girls had lost a Mother without even words of goodbye" he murmured staring down at the happy photo and picked it up from James' grasp.

He looked at it for a while for shaking his head and saying; "Lies. All lies" and then placed it back into the cupboard.

"You were looking for Lily's sleeping bag?" he asked pulling it out and James nodded, taking it under his arm.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. I didn't mean to intrude, I was just-"

"Its fine, James. And remember, it's Rob" he reminded him and James nodded vigorously.

"Right, sorry, Rob. I'll just take this outside" he said leaving Mr. Evans to look at the happier version of the picture and then toss it carelessly into the cupboard.

* * *

Hours later, after the tent had been put up and the food was cooked on the barbeque and eaten, Jessie was lying in her sleeping bag snuggling up with Cindy Jane. Aaron was holding a torch and he and James were making animal shadows with their hands. Jessie was naming them and giving them profiles; there was Edward the Emu and Geraldine the Giraffe. And also Douglas the Dingo.

Lily smiled as Jessie tucked Cindy in next to her.

"Can we tell ghost stories?" Aaron asked eagerly and Jessie screamed, making everyone jump.

"Maybe when Jessie goes to sleep" James answered him and he sighed and let it go.

Lily watched Aaron as he pulled out a book and opened it to a page that was marked and began reading it quietly to himself.

"So, Jessie. Have you had a good day?" Lily asked her and she nodded and yawned.

"Uhuh, it was fun" she whispered and her eyes began closing slowly and James even smiled as he watched his little sister drift off to sleep.

Aaron threw his book aside eagerly.

"Ghost stories now?"

Lily smiled and glanced at James who had a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Okay so there was once this hippogriff that only had three legs and half a beak. He was walking through a graveyard at night. It was dark and eerie noises followed his every footsteps. They seemed to be getting closer as he hobbled along, unbalanced due to the fact that a large black dog had mauled his leg off. He felt things sweeping past him in all directions, brushing against his body as he turned this way and that, only to discover the graveyard was all but empty except for him. Or so he thought… Shadows began tiptoeing out from behind trees as-"

"Okay I think I'm going to sleep now" Aaron muttered, interrupting his brother who shrugged.

"Fine, your loss. You don't get to find out how the story ends" he replied nonchalantly and Aaron yawned.

"Whatever. Goodnight Lily, James" he said rolling over and they waited until they heard his soft snores before James stood up and took Lily's hand.

They walked from the tent over to the swing and James suddenly smirked.

"Our first kiss was on a swing, you remember?"

Lily blushed deeply at this and James sat down on the swing and began pushing himself slowly, scuffing his feet on the ground.

"Sometimes I wish it wasn't. Then this whole mess wouldn't have started" she murmured and he smiled pitifully at her.

"I know what you mean, but things are starting to look up. We go back in two weeks; we'll be together in no time" he promised and she sighed.

"I know it's just… Two weeks is a long time" she mumbled and he nodded and smiled at her.

"I want to be with you, Lils. And we can make it happen. We just have to wait. Unless you want to talk about it to my Mother?" he asked and she frowned at him.

"I don't want her to be mad at me" she replied and he chuckled.

"I was kidding. Besides, she'd have to find out sooner or later when we're at Hogwarts" he reminded her and she shrugged and tilted his chin.

"Do you feel guilty whenever your Mum or Aaron is around like I do? My insides are screaming at me that this is all so wrong but at the same time my heart is screaming at me that it's right…" she trailed off and James took a hold of her hand and rested it on his chest where his heart was.

"That's the feeling I get when my heart screams at me, and I have to ignore it, every time" he whispered and she could feel the rapid beating of it underneath his bare skin. It was intense, and placing a hand over it felt as if her own was finally in tune, matching the speed and pace of his.

"All we have to do is make sure we've got each other's backs and it will be okay. We need to be on the same level about it and understand one another" he added and she nodded he got off of the swing and pushed her down on the seat gently and began to push her slowly.

"You're amazing, Lily Evans" he murmured as he leaned forward and she smiled as his breath tickled her ear.

"James…" she whispered and he kissed the side of her head.

"As long as we're in this together; then nothing can stop us" he told her triumphantly and she giggled.

"You sound determined."

"Oh believe me, I am. I want you, and only you. I can't rest until I have you in my arms."

Lily snorted and he blushed deeply.

"Okay, now I feel gay" he said nervously and she just shook her head and sighed.

"Lucky you said that to me and not Sirius" she reminded him and he shrugged.

"I think it would be wrong on many levels if I did; he's like a brother to me. It would practically be incest" he told her and she burst out laughing, trying to keep it soft so that the children wouldn't wake up.

"Until then, I can only dream of being with you" she mumbled and he moved around in front of her and tilted her chin to face him.

"Technically speaking we'll be together; just not the way we could be" he responded and she chuckled, pulling him into a hug.

"I like being with you."

"I like being with you too."

* * *

**A/N: And that's another chapter, folks. You all better love me!**

**Well, I loved all of the reviews I got from last chapter; I better wake up and find dozens more in the morning! **

**Until next chapter,**

**LilyHeartsJames**

**Xoxoxox**


	16. Chapter 16

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To you guys, the reviewers. You guys are awesome and I enjoyed reading each one of your reviews so thanks heaps :)_

**Notes: **_This chapter was already partially written up and it was supposed to be chapter 14 but I found it lying around in my other folder and thought; hey I could make that work. So I reworked it. And I actually quite like it._

_This takes place two days after the camping trip. James' Dad has been trying to talk to him but that's kind of hard considering Lily's there just about every day._

_You guys are VERY lucky. 3 updates 3 days in a row. You're lucky I had four days off. Sorry if the next chapter is ages away, not my fault, blame TAFE -_- _

* * *

James awoke to a new day.

He also awoke to a person sitting on his chest with their arms crossed. Even through his blurry vision, he could just manage to make out the black hair.

He sat up, pushing whoever it was off of him and reached for his glasses on his bedside table. When he jammed them onto his face, his eyes adjusted to reveal Sirius lying on his side with his hand holding his head. He was wearing a huge smile on his face.

"Good morning, sunshine" he greeted and James raised his eyebrows.

"You got laid last night, didn't you?"

Sirius chuckled loudly to himself, rolling on his back.

"Maybe" he answered mysteriously.

"So where did you end up anyway?"

Sirius shrugged.

"Roseanne's. Sera showed up halfway through the date, claiming we weren't done. Bitch" he grumbled and sighed.

"That sucks, I'm sorry, Padfoot. Roseanne didn't mind?"

"I told Sera she made it very clear it was over and that I didn't want to be with her. I then asked her politely to leave and Roseanne and I continued as though it never happened. I also got totally laid" he said cheekily and chucked a pillow at James' face, knocking his glasses askew. He got up and stretched, then turned back to him.

"Lily's here by the way. I might just go tell her you mumbled her name in your sleep" Sirius added and cackled evilly and James glared at him.

"I did not! And you can't tell her that because that would be weird" he said and Sirius grinned mischievously in his direction.

"You did actually; it was like, 'Lily! Oh Lily. Yes... Oh yesss'... I think you might want a shower before you head downstairs" he told him audaciously and James flushed bright red. When had he said that out loud? He ought to be more careful in future.

"If you tell her, I swear I'll-"

"LILY! LILY! JAMES SAID- OH!"

Sirius was shoved onto the bed and James was on his back holding a pillow over his mouth when Lily walked in and froze, her wide eyes taking in the scene before her.

There was silence until James, who was looking from her, to Sirius to the pillow and back again said; "It's not what it looks like, I swear."

She nodded slowly and backed out of the room steadily.

"You guys um... Finish up and I'll just go and... Do something that doesn't involve homosexuals and isn't weird" she said poking her tongue out and hurried down the hall before James could get the chance to explain.

He jumped off the bed and hurried after her, catching her arm and pulling her back around to face him on the stairs. He tried to catch his breath before beginning to make an explanation.

"Lily, we're not like that, I swear. He was being a dick and-"

"James, I was just joking. Besides you don't have to explain it to me, it's not as if I'm your girlfriend" she said with a smirk and he watched her make her way into the kitchen and sighed.

"YET!" he yelled out after her.

She was right. She wasn't. Although that didn't change the fact that he wanted her to be.

* * *

James stepped out of the shower feeling more refreshed and he dried his entire body with his towel and then wiped the fog off of the mirror to show him standing there staring at him. A sudden flash of red hair disappeared and he swivelled around quickly but he was standing there completely alone. He groaned loudly and rested his head against the mirror.

He wanted to be with Lily. He couldn't get those kisses and his dream off his mind, no matter how much he tried to relieve himself. He wanted more. He craved it.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and picked up his boxers and walked back into his room, witnessing Lily who was leaning against the wall next to the back door watching the kids play outside.

He smiled, quickly got dressed in grey jeans and a black t-shirt and made his way downstairs and winked at Lily as he passed. She followed him into the kitchen and watched him drink orange juice out of the carton and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

He grinned and wiped his lip and leant against the counter.

"So, what's been going on?" he asked and she and sat down at the counter.

She shrugged in reply.

"Just baby-sitting. Same old" she said with a small smile.

He nodded and took another swig.

"What been _up_ with you?"

He choked on the liquid and coughed loudly to clear his throat and lowered the carton curiously.

"What?"

"There's a left over t-_bone_ in the fridge if you're hungry" she told him with a smirk on her face and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Have you been taking drugs?"

"Have you?" she asked inclining her head at his pants.

He glanced down and his face went crimson coloured, all the colour drained from his face.

"Are you serious?" he yelled frustratedly. "I just dealt with you" James moaned.

Lily coughed loudly and James could see she was trying hard not to laugh.

"It must be a, um, _hard _job" she stated and he glared at her.

"This is your fault" he said pointing at her and leaving the room quickly and Lily giggled loudly.

When he came back fifteen minutes later he found her sitting with Sirius in the kitchen and they were both drinking coffee with strange looks on their faces, it was as if they were about to burst.

"Okay, laugh it up" he demanded and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth for, Jamesie Poo?"

He glared at them both.

"Come on, you mean to tell me she didn't tell you? I don't believe that for a second. So what, I got a boner. It's natural" he yelled and Sirius looked as though Christmas and Easter had come early all at once.

James stared at his friend's expression and looked at Lily who shrugged.

"You let the cat out of the bag, James."

"Ha, I'd think it more along the lines that he let his cock out of his pants" Sirius concluded and he and Lily both sniggered. "Or he wishes anyway."

James' glare turned to Lily.

"I can't believe you aren't sticking up for me" he mumbled and sat beside her.

"You're a big boy, James. You can handle it. Besides, I think you've done enough, err, sticking up for yourself today" she added and Sirius choked on his coffee and spat it everywhere.

"I hate you guys" he said as Sirius and Lily high fived one another.

"Why are you both doing this?" he begged and Lily shrugged.

"It's fun watching you get all embarrassed" she admitted and Sirius nodded.

"You get so angry James, you need to manage it" he told him and James threw a spoon at him, hitting him right in between the eyes.

"Oi, you Wanker! What was that for?" he asked rubbing his forehead protectively.

"Don't give the Gryffindor's star chaser any shit, because he'll throw it right back" James replied and got up and began rummaging through the fridge.

Lily rolled her eyes and smiled at Sirius who grinned right back.

"Any chance of a T-_bone_ in there, Prongs?"

"Piss off" was James' reply as he pulled the jam out and began making jam sandwiches.

A squawk caused them to all look up towards the window as a large, tawny owl made its way through and plopped itself on the table, carrying three letters all with the Hogwarts crest on the back of the envelope.

Sirius was quick enough to take all three and the owl took flight, back out of the window back in the direction it came.

Lily took hers and noticed it felt fairly heavy as she ignored the creepy details on the front telling her she was sitting at the Potter's table and ripped it open.

James and Sirius were also busy reading theirs and Lily gasped as a shiny golden badge slipped out into her hands, bearing the words 'Head Girl'.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Please, as if that was a surprise. I bet you all ten galleons that Moony gets Head Boy" he said and Lily ignored him as she read over the letter telling her she was given this role.

_Dear Miss. Evans,_

_It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been elected Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_Packages will be waiting in the Prefect's Carriage on the Hogwarts Express. Please instil this information to all the Prefects, old and new._

_Hoping you are having a wonderful summer._

_My congratulations once more,_

_Albus Dumbledore _

Lily looked up from her letter with a huge smile on her face. She was Head Girl. She had completely forgotten about it ever since she's began working at the Potter's. It was what she had always wanted since first year and had set out to work hard for it every day following.

She looked up and saw Sirius giving James weird looks who was open mouth staring at his letter. He didn't make a sound, but continued to keep his eyes on his letter as though they were glued to it.

"James-"

There was a loud _POP! _And Remus Lupin apparated into the kitchen looking worn and frazzled, ruffling his shaggy hair.

"Ah! The Head Boy has finally arrived!" Sirius called out and gave Remus a low bow who shook his head in return.

"I didn't get it; someone else did. James? What's bothering you?"

James suddenly tore his hazel eyes away from his letter and held up a shiny golden badge identical to Lily's, only it said 'Head Boy' instead. James' eyes were wide and he began to laugh hysterically and pointed at Sirius.

"You owe me ten galleons" he told him, the maniacal laughter never ceasing as Lily, Sirius and even Remus all stared at James with their mouths ajar as though they-

"I don't believe it!" Sirius shouted, the first to speak.

He strode over to James and snatched the letter from his grasp and read it over, word for word.

"This is bollocks!" he yelled when he'd finished reading but Remus was smiling nonetheless.

"Well done, James. It might help you to pull your head in a bit" he joked and clapped James on the shoulders.

James' laughter still hadn't stopped and it was beginning to worry Lily.

"James, I don't want to be mean but have you lost your mind?"

He automatically stopped laughing and looked at her.

"I may have for a moment… I'm Head Boy, Lily. Who on earth would make me of all people, Head Boy?"

"Has Dumbledore lost his mind?" Sirius asked still staring at the letter, putting it up to the light to check for any ways of proving it was a fake.

He snatched up Lily's and held the two together and examined the handwriting.

"I guess maybe Dumbledore has indeed lost his mind. I mean, Evans was a most definite shoe in for Head Girl, but perhaps he had a bit to drink after writing hers?"

Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius' dramatics and made her way over to James and hugged him.

"Congratulations, James" she praised and he smiled at her.

"Thanks Lily."

"I still refuse to believe it! A Marauder can't be Head Boy!" Sirius exclaimed, frowning at the badge.

He put it close to his mouth and then, without warning, bit it.

"Eww, Sirius what the hell! Get your filthy mouth off of my badge!" James shouted and snatched it from his grasp and rubbed it on his black track pants.

"And besides, Remus is a Marauder and he got Prefect" James added and stowed his badge in his pocket.

"But, but that's Remus! You're James Potter; one of the ring leaders. Quidditch captain. Prankster. Detentions left, right and centre. _You can't be Head Boy!_" Sirius shrieked and sat down on the chair, breathing heavily.

"Oh, Merlin. This will ruin your reputation!" he gasped and Lily couldn't help but giggle at his dramatics.

"Really, Sirius your acting skills could get you into the drama club" Remus remarked and James sniggered.

"More like life skills" he said and Sirius glared at them.

"Mock me all you want, but this will have an impact on your sought after reputation!"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Sirius, just don't worry about it. It's James' problem" she suggested but he shook his head.

"He doesn't care, someone has to!"

James was about to answer when his Mother and Father entered the room.

"Mum, what are you doing back from work so early?"

She frowned at him slightly.

"James your father and I need a word with you" she told him sternly and he raised his eyebrows.

"What about?"

"Just come with us" Mr. Potter instructed and James glanced at Lily who was looking worried before swiftly leaving the room.

They walked upstairs into his parent's bedroom and his father shut the door behind him.

"What part of no fraternization did you not understand?" Katherine began and James frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't pretend you haven't got a clue what you're talking about. Your father saw you kissing Lily in the kitchen the other day."

James sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Look, that wasn't supposed to happen" he admitted and his Mother glared at him.

"Have you been sneaking around?"

James shifted his feet.

"Not technically" he murmured and his father raised an eyebrow.

"Not technically?" he repeated.

"Well, you see… It's complicated. We aren't together but… We want to be" he explained and his Mother watched him sternly.

"How long?"

"Since the wedding. I was being a jerk, and I apologised and somehow we ended up kissing and that was when I realised that I had deeper feelings for her than I thought."

He looked at the ground when he spoke, not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Look, we didn't mean for this to happen, but it did. I like her, and she likes me. We aren't actually sneaking around because we don't want to do that to you, or to Aaron. And Lily hates it; she can't stand being near me and not being able to be with me but see the thing is, she's still here. The others aren't. She knows she has a duty to you and to Jessie and Aaron and she's still here." If he could get the blame off of Lily, his parents might let her continue working here.

"James, you promised this wouldn't happen" his Mother said looking as though she was torturing herself.

"I know I did, but at the time, I didn't know that I was going to end up feeling like this" he said softly and she watched him closely.

"Look, Lily is not like the other girls; I really like her. I didn't care about those other girls, I cared more about myself. I didn't even care about how it turned out for you, but this time it's different because I'm not dating Lily behind your back" he explained and Mr. Potter cleared his throat.

"Technically."

James sighed.

"I want to be with her, and I want you to be okay with that. I am not going to hurt Lily, she means too much to me to do that. And I'll explain it to Aaron, I'll tell him that it's not going to be like the other times, I'll-"

"No. Aaron has been affected too much by your flings. This could break him. He's just started to trust Lily; he gets along with her-"

"And he still can because SHE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" James shouted exasperatedly and Mr. Potter grabbed his arm.

"Don't shout at your Mother" he warned and let him go in an instant.

James was glaring at them both.

"If you aren't going to let me be with Lily here, then I'll leave. I'll move out."

Katherine shook her head.

"James don't be like that. You will be going back to Hogwarts soon; you can be with her then. But until then it's strictly business" she compromised and he tried his best not to laugh.

"So that's your solution? Just put it off?"

"If you care about her as much as you say you do, then it shouldn't be too hard" his Father intervened and James shrugged.

"Of course I can wait, that's not the point. I just don't want to. Lily isn't stupid, she knows how to split her personal life and her work life, the thing is we've all become her personal life. We're all like family to her. And she knows how important this job is, she's never taken her eyes off those kids, and that's not going to change. And besides, she has me and Sirius there too. If it wasn't for Lily, I would still be one of the biggest dickheads around. She helped me see that family is everything, and that I wouldn't jeopardise that. I know we can all make this work, so tell me why you think it is such a horrible thing for me us to be together."

Mrs. Potter stared at James and sighed.

"If it upsets Aaron-"

"I'll work on him. I'll prove to him that this is different."

"You really like her don't you?"

James nodded.

"I do, she means a lot to me. She isn't just some girl; she is intelligent and kind, she fights for what she believes in and she's incredibly strong. Even when life turns upside down she manages to find a way to put it back the right way up. She is an amazing artist; you look through her drawing pad and you'll find multiple pictures of me, and Jessie, Aaron and Sirius in there. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you were in it too. She is beautiful, and easily one of the brightest people I know. She's always got my back, and everyone else if they're in trouble. She chooses the weirdest ice cream flavours because she's out there, and she knows how to make me feel better when I've had a crap day. I really, really like her" he said defiantly and his Father smiled at him.

"When I left, you were a nasty birk. When I came back, I noticed you'd changed. You were more open and you enjoyed sharing time outside of your room with your brothers and sister. I realised there had to have been some kind of reason behind it and when Lily walked into her kitchen the morning after the wedding and I saw you look at her, I realised what changed you. You looked at her as though she was the only one in the room…" Mr. Potter trailed off and James blushed and shrugged.

"She's amazing."

Mrs. Potter sighed.

"Fine. But if-"

"Nothing will happen, trust me. I won't stuff things up this time" he promised and she pulled her son into a huge hug.

"I'm proud of the person you've become, James" she told him and kissed his cheek.

He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Mum. I really appreciate this" he replied and she smiled back at him as he turned around and left the room.

"Lily! LILY!" James shouted and his parents chuckled as they walked out behind him.

"What?" the confused redhead asked and James grabbed her around the waist and pressed his lips firmly to hers, taking her by surprise.

"We're going out tonight, when you finish work" he told her when he pulled away and she opened and closed her mouth wordlessly.

"We don't have to wait anymore" he told her quietly and he saw her smile shyly.

"Really?"

He nodded happily and kissed her forehead and heard his parents clear their throats behind him.

"JAMES GOT HEAD BOY!" Sirius suddenly blurted out and Mrs. Potter gasped loudly.

"Really? My Jamesie, Head Boy?"

James blushed a dark red and pulled his badge out of his pocket and showed it to her.

His Father stood there with wide eyes.

"What on earth was Dumbledore thinking?" he wondered aloud and his wife hit him on the chest and rushed forwards giving James a huge cuddle.

"Oh, I am so proud of you! James! My James, Head Boy!" she flustered and stood back, pinching his cheeks.

"Mum, it's no big deal" he mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

"IT'S A VERY BIG DEAL!" Sirius and Katherine shouted simultaneously.

"Don't be all embarrassed in front of your _girlfriend_, James" Mr. Potter teased and then there was a small voice behind him.

"Girlfriend?"

Lily's face went chalk white as Aaron pushed his way through to the kitchen.

"Who's your girlfriend, James?"

Aaron had this weird glint in his eye, it was suspicious, but curious all the same and she didn't like it. It was as though Aaron suspected it was Lily, but didn't want to believe it.

"Lily is my girlfriend, Aaron" James replied and the look on his face was priceless. It went from confused, to sad, to angry, to livid.

"YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED A BIT!" he yelled at his brother and then turned on his heel and they heard the back door slam.

James hurried out of the kitchen and followed him, hot on his tail.

"AARON!" he yelled as his brother kicked everything in his path. He turned around and glared at James, wanting nothing more than to kick him to.

"You and Lily. You've ruined everything! I liked her. I thought she was going to stay with us forever. The minute the two of you are over, when you're done with her and cast her off, she'll be gone. She'll leave us" he snapped and James shook his head.

"It's not like that this time, I promise. I like Lily, a lot. And I'm not going to just cast her off. Lily isn't going to leave you, she cares about you Aaron. She cares about Jessie too. She wouldn't do that to you, not like the others" he murmured and held out his hand.

Aaron pushed it away.

"I don't care what you say; it's just like the other times. You don't care about her; you don't even care about us. You're the same jerk as you were every other time" he yelled and James tried to pretend that didn't hurt.

"That's not true; you and Jessie are everything to me. And if I didn't really like Lily then I wouldn't be with her. I have changed; I'm not the same person I used to be. I would never be with Lily if it meant she was going to leave, I know how much you and Jessie care about her. Lily is not going to do that. You'll see" he said and offered his hand once more.

Aaron seemed to soften.

"I'll never forgive you if she leaves" he warned him and James nodded in reply.

"That's completely understandable. And don't take this out on Lily, it means a lot to her that you two get along now" he added, straightening up.

Aaron shrugged.

"Lily is my friend, I'm not going to be mean to her again" he said and James smiled at him.

"Trust me, Aaron. Lily isn't going to leave. She cares about all of us" he told him reassuringly and Aaron nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry" he whispered and James shrugged.

"Don't be, I deserved that" he said and they walked back inside together, side by side.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hope you guys like this chapter, don't worry, I'm not finished yet ;)**

**You are all verrrrrrrrrrrrrry very lucky to get another update this quickly. Just thought I'd remind you :)**

**Please, please review. They really do motivate me :D**

**Love always,**

**Until next update,**

**LilyHeartsJames**


	17. Chapter 17

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To my awesome friends at TAFE. I wouldn't be me if it weren't for all of you bringing me out of my shell :D_

**Notes: **_Okay so it's been awhile, but it was necessary as my homework load increased (like it even needed to -_-) and I was attending to it. I wanted to work on another chapter, but it wasn't possible with timing. But now I can this weekend because I did my homework I needed to do then thankfully :D Yay, no need to thank me guys :P_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope you guys do. I winged it lol :)_

_THANKS ALSO TO THE READERS AND REVIEWERS. THEY WERE AMAZING :D_

* * *

**Chapter 17 (WOW, already!)**

Katherine was extremely pleased to see how happy her son was. She watched him talking animatedly to Jessie about her dolls, and even noticed him smiling more often. She then glanced at Lily who was conversing with her husband and saw that Lily also appeared cheerful and it instantly set her mind at ease.

Glancing over at Sirius and Aaron eating sandwiches, she saw Aaron casually glancing over at his brother and Lily with curious looks and then going back to his sandwich. Katherine was hoping Aaron wouldn't be different around them; he needed to be able to feel secure about Lily staying on to babysit with them for the rest of the holidays until Hogwarts started up again.

Katherine also realised that she needed to think about her eldest child's feelings, and she didn't want him to be in the position that she herself had been in when she was studying her last year at Hogwarts and her parents didn't want her dating David until she had finished her schooling. They had the idea that David would have distracted her with thoughts of running off and marrying him, and having several children before she could make a career for herself and then not be able to. She shook her head and sighed. She did not want to forbid James being with Lily, especially since he had deep feelings for her. She remembered her own parents try to do that very same thing and she had ended up sneaking off to meet him. David had been a bit of a bad influence, considering he had been the biggest prankster in his school days but she didn't love him any less. In fact, it made her love him that much more; he always knew how to make her laugh.

She glanced up at David who said something and made Lily laugh and she grinned, suddenly getting an idea.

"Lily" she called and the redhead turned to her with a curious look upon her face. Upon hearing her name, James also glanced up at his Mother.

"David and I can take over the kids from here, you've earned yourself a night off" she explained and gave her a wink.

Lily opened her mouth to protest, to say she didn't mind but Katherine held up a hand.

"Go; my son wants to take you out" she added and Lily glanced at James who jumped to his feet.

"I'll go get changed and meet you at yours" he told her kissing her forehead. He gave his Mother an appreciative smile and bounded up the stairs before she could say another word.

She smiled at Katherine, who smiled back.

"Are you sure?"

Mrs. Potter nodded and began pushing her towards the door.

"You and James deserve a night out. You've helped me so much over the holidays; and I know I haven't been the easiest person to work with-"

"Oh, no you've been great-"

"Thank you, Lily. But you should go out and have some fun. I'll see you tomorrow" Katherine interrupted and Lily nodded.

"Okay, thank you. I'll be over bright and early" she joked and Katherine laughed.

"Have a nice night, Lily" she said waving at her.

"You too" Lily called over her shoulder and made her way down the footpath, turned left, and apparated back to the safety of her home.

* * *

Lily pushed her bedroom door open and walked back down the stairs, smiling happily. She could finally be with James. And his family didn't mind it. Her Father looked up from the frying pan and eyed her suspiciously and inclined his head towards the lounge room without saying anything.

Lily smirked to herself at the memory of her Father choking on his coffee when she announced she was going on a date with James, and her Father's splutter of surprise and indignation. She was his little girl, he had said. Lily had to compromise that she would be home before twelve before he would allow her out.

"Err, don't you think you should put on a sweater or something? It's cold outside" he Father exclaimed and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Dad, it's the complete opposite. I'll be fine" she assured him and he opened his mouth to argue but she rolled her eyes and he stopped short.

"I'm sorry, I'm just-"

"Being a Dad; I get it" she cut in and smiled at him before entering the lounge room and catching sight of James on the couch looking nervous.

Lily smiled, and he didn't notice her enter at first as his eyes were darting all around the room. He was wearing a short sleeved light grey t-shirt and black jeans. His hair was as messed up as always (and as she assumed, he or perhaps his Mother, had tried to flatten it). He was wearing his red converses and was tapping his feet repetitively.

Lily cleared her throat and James glanced upwards, his jaw dropping instantly as his eyes met hers.

She wasn't sure why he was acting like this, as she hadn't dressed up too much. She was wearing a dark grey pair of skinny leg jeans, a white singlet with the top line just visible underneath a light blue blouse with her sleeves rolled up just past her elbows. Her green and white volley shoes weren't too white and weren't too dirty; having the perfect affect so that they weren't blindingly white. Her long red hair was slightly wavy and was flowing down past her shoulders with her fringe pulled back with bobby pins.

None the less, James suddenly leapt to his feet and strode over towards her, almost tripping over in his haste.

"You… You look beautiful" he mumbled quietly, going red in the face.

Lily couldn't help but giggle; he was just too cute.

"Thank you James, you look nice" she replied with a wink and he laughed nervously.

"Mum attacked my hair; does it still look okay?"

"As okay as always" she told him and he smiled at her. "It looks great" she added and held out her hand and James suddenly looked alarmed, causing Lily to swivel around and find her Father standing there looking mysterious.

"So, what are the two of you doing tonight?" he asked coolly and Lily shrugged.

"Just going out for dinner and a movie" she answered and he nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"James staying?"

Lily was about to answer when James got in before her.

"Err, no I'm not. I'll see Lily tomorrow" he responded and didn't meet her Father's stern gaze.

"Oh, Good. Good…"

Lily suddenly felt awkward as it went into a nasty silence and she felt the need to break it.

"Well, we better get going. I'll see you when I get back" she promised her Father and kissed his cheek as she passed him.

"Make sure you have her home before twelve" he warned James who nodded.

"Yes sir, she will be" he replied and Lily almost laughed at their stiff handshake that seemed as though they were sizing each other up. When they seemed to give up, James followed Lily and closed the door behind him, relaxing once he felt the fresh air fill his lungs.

"Wow, your Dad was intense. Is he always like that when you go out?" he asked and Lily chuckled.

"I've never been out with a guy before, so I guess he's just marking his territory and being protective over his little girl" she mimicked and James sniggered.

"I can't believe you called him 'sir'" Lily shot back and he went a bit red.

"If I had called him by his first name I think he would have tried harder to snap my arm off" he answered and Lily slipped her hand in his, enjoying the sudden tingles that ran through her fingertips.

James suddenly grinned at her.

"It feels great to finally be able to do this" he whispered and Lily nodded and moved closer to him.

"I'm glad we don't have to wait anymore" she said contently and they made their way down the street, passing the spot where they had admitted their feelings for one another and both smiled, thinking the other hadn't noticed. But they were both wrong.

* * *

James had been very nervous when they got to the restaurant. Lily had begged him not to take her somewhere expensive, but he insisted. He pulled the chair out for her before the waiter could and then seated himself and took the menus from the waiter who nodded at him.

"Let me know once you've made up your minds" he told them and stepped back and attended to another table.

James passed one to Lily and said; "choose whatever you like" and she blushed.

"I don't want anything too pricey-"

"Lily, shut up and pick something. I'm spending as much as I like on you" he told her with a smirk and she sighed in defeat.

"Okaaay…" she replied and smiled at him happily.

James winked at her and then glanced down towards his menu and began scanning it.

"Hmmm…"

Lily smiled and looked at her own and frowned. The food was quite expensive, and she knew that James didn't have a job and-

"Lily, honestly. I don't care how much it costs. I've wanted to do this for so long so please, please just choose whatever you want regardless of how much it is. I can see your face from here you know" he exclaimed, and she looked back up and met his gaze.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"Relax, you deserve this. You've been doing a great job over the summer. And money isn't a concern for me" he told her and took hold of her hand that was resting on the table and she tried to ignore the tingles she got once again.

"James, I really appreciate this" she murmured and he smiled at her and rubbed her knuckles.

"Thank you for coming with me" he answered and she grinned and glanced at her menu once more.

"I think I'll have the spaghetti bolognaise, please" she told him and he grinned.

"Great choice, I think I might have spaghetti and meatballs… Mmmm" he said hungrily and she giggled.

The waiter suddenly appeared right beside James with a big cheesy grin and took down their orders and promised to bring back drinks and left.

"You know, you look incredibly pretty tonight" James told her and her face went a dark, crimson red.

"Thank you, so do you" she replied and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You like what you see, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him and he wiggled his eyebrows in reply, causing her to shake her head and glance over at another couple at another table.

She almost yelled in shock when she realised that it was Alice and Frank sitting together, talking.

She hadn't spoken to Alice since the wedding; she hadn't even checked to see if she was alright. She was so caught up in taking care of the children and James that she hadn't given that a second thought. Guilt plagued her heart and she hated herself. Alice was her best friend. She didn't even know that Lily and James were together now. And Lily had no idea that Alice and Frank-

"Do you want to go and say hi?" James asked, cutting into her thoughts.

She let out a small squeak of surprise as she was brought back to earth and stared at James.

"I can't" she mumbled and James frowned at her with his hazel brown eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because, I haven't talked to her since the wedding! I didn't even check to see if she was alright. I'm such a horrible person! She could have been injured and-"

"You aren't a horrible person. So much happened in that split second and afterwards that you got distracted. That doesn't make you a bad person, Lils. I'm sure Alice would like it if you went and said hi to her. She's already noticed you're here" he added and her emerald green eyes widened.

"Oh no, what if she's upset with me?" she whimpered and James took hold of her chin and forced her to look at him.

"I highly doubt that; but don't you think it would be good to go and see how she is now?"

Lily's eyes met his and they stared at each other for a moment before she nodded slowly.

"I need to see her" she whispered and he smiled at her encouragingly.

She rose from the table and steadily made her way through the restaurant and made eye contact with Alice as she went. She passed a few tables until she reached theirs and stopped beside them, her heart hammering wildly.

"Hi Frank, Alice. How are you?" she asked nervously. They both looked up at her and smiled.

"Lily! It's great to see you. I'm doing great; I've been a bit busy at work since the wedding though. How are you?" Frank replied and she shrugged.

"I could say the same. Alice, can I talk to you?" she directed the question at her best friend who nodded and slowly got up out of her seat and together they walked away from the tables.

Lily turned to Alice and opened her mouth to apologize, but her friend got in before her.

"Lily, I am so sorry! I was selfish, and I was confused and scared! I should have checked up on you but-"

"I'm sorry too" Lily interrupted and they both stared at each other before breaking out into a grin.

"Alice, at the wedding I went into my role of being baby-sitter and tried to get the kids out, they were so frightened and I needed to get them away from there as fast as possible. I didn't end up going back because I stayed with them at my house and then after the wedding I've just… I've been really, really confused, and distracted I-I should have written to you, or visited you I-"

"Lily, it's okay. I can understand that. I've been the same since. You and James, huh?" she asked, changing the subject and Lily went bright red.

"You and Frank, huh?" she responded and Alice blushed this time.

"We have a lot to catch up one" she answered and Lily nodded and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you, best friend" she murmured and Alice grinned.

"I've missed you too. Come and stay at mine tomorrow after you baby-sit, if you're free" she said and Lily stepped back and nodded eagerly.

"Of course, we need another sleepover. I should get back to James…"

Alice smirked at her.

"Well, it's about time you caught on" she told her with a snigger as they walked back to their tables.

"Shh, it's not my fault" she replied and Alice just shook her head.

When they reached Lily's table, Alice said hello to James and left giving him a wink and instructions to look after her friend. James chuckled and watched Lily lower herself into the chair and smiled.

"All good then?"

She nodded happily and then took hold of his hand.

"Thank you, James."

He shrugged and then their food arrived and they sat back and began to tuck in.

* * *

"So that movie wasn't so bad" James admitted as they made their way towards Lily's house later that night. Being a gentleman, James had told her to choose the movie and she decided to choose a romance comedy. He had teased her at the time, but found himself enjoying the humorous side of the film. He also didn't mind having Lily leaning against him, allowing him to have his arm wrapped around her.

"Lies, you loved it" the redhead answered and he sniggered loudly.

"Oh, of course. It was amazing. The way to a man's heart is definitely through a romance movie" he answered mockingly and she hit his chest.

"You laughed the entire way through; you must have liked it a tiny little bit" she replied and he grinned at her and kissed the top of her head.

"It wasn't too bad. I dibs choosing the next one though" he exclaimed and Lily froze.

"Oh, you want to do this again?" she asked with a weird look upon her face and James' eyes snapped to hers, his facial expression taking an immediate worried look.

"You don't want to?" he asked sadly, turning away from her.

There was silence, until Lily called his name, bringing him back down to earth.

He faced her, trying hi hardest not to appear hurt.

"I was kidding; of course I want to go on another date with you. I have never felt this way with anyone else" she told him happily, and a smile slowly formed on his face.

"I hate you" he responded and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"Lies, I don't believe that for a second" she said and he chuckled.

They reached her front door and then Lily turned around to face him.

"Thank you, for tonight. I had an amazing time" she explained and he nodded and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, it was okay wasn't it?" he poked his tongue out at her as she nudged his shoulder playfully.

"It was more than okay" he told her, pressing his index finger underneath her chin and lifted her face upwards to face him gently.

She smiled, which made him beam down at her, mirroring her happiness.

"I suppose, it's only necessary that I end this date with a kiss" he murmured, his lips dangerously close to her own.

"Well, considering it is necessary, I think that's a great idea" she answered softly, and his lips were suddenly pressed against her own in an instant. It was a slow, meaningful kiss and James' lips grazed hers slowly, begging entrance to her mouth. She allowed it, and it turned more passionate as she was leaned up against the wall gently. James had both his hands on each side of her face, and her arms were wrapped around his face as they embraced each other fervently.

They were interrupted by a loud, throat clearing cough.

They broke apart, and James' face slightly paled as Mr. Evans stood there awkwardly with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Lily, its eleven fifty-eight. You'd best be saying goodnight" he mumbled and Lily raised her eyebrows and nodded nonetheless.

"Sure. Goodnight James" she said turning to him and pulling him into a hug and pecking his cheek.

He smiled nervously at her.

"Um, goodnight Lily. Mr. Evans" he added with a nod and turned and walked away into the night, leaving Lily alone with her father.

"Lily-"

"I've got to get up for work tomorrow, so I should get to bed. Goodnight Dad" she said kissing his cheek as she passed and made her way up the stairs, slightly annoyed at how her Father was dealing with her relationship, considering he was fine with Petunia's.

* * *

That night, as James lay in bed, he touched his fingers to his lips and smiled, still feeling the tingle of their kiss. He had a nice walk home, almost walking into a tree and straight past his house as he was caught up in thoughts of Lily.

He missed her, incredibly. Of course he knew he'd have to part from her eventually, but he hadn't wanted to. Lily was beautiful, and funny. She was very intelligent and always made him smile. With her, he felt insanely happy.

He grinned as he rolled onto his back, and stared at the ceiling. He sighed, and then closed his eyes and the kiss scene at Lily's house replayed in his mind.

Getting caught by her Father wasn't something he had wanted, and it did make things a bit awkward. Hopefully Lily hadn't gotten into any trouble because of him.

He rolled back onto his side and looked outside his window at the moon with a frown. Tomorrow night was once again a full moon, and James was going to be in the company of his three friends prowling about the forest behind Remus' house. He was definitely looking forward to all the adventures they would undertake together as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

* * *

**A/N:**

**How did you guys find this chapter?**

**Let me know, pretty please because I have a few more chapters up my sleeve yet. Just at the thought of one I have planned makes me laugh evilly. Muhahahahahaha!**

**Anyways, don't freak out. Thanks to those who've read, reviewed, favourited and alerted. It means a lot :D**

**Oh, by the way in case some of you aren't aware. There is another Lily/James story under my name in the works. It's called **_**'Love is the Heart of Acceptance, Hate is the Heart of Denial'. **_**Although that title is too long, so you'll just find it under '**_**Love is the Heart of Acceptance'**_**. **

**PLEASE take the time to read it and drop a review for me so that I can know how it is and what I might need to work on and if I should continue or not. Thanks!**

**Love always, **

**LilyHeartsJames xoxoxoxoxox**


	18. Chapter 18

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary: **_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer: **_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication: **_To all those who reviewed; thanks heaps! :)_

**Notes: **_Sorry about the long wait, I had holidays and went home to visit the family and relax a bit. And then I got back for the serious part of the holidays: HOMEWORK -_- But I'm taking some time out to get another chapter out to all of you. Thanks for being patient ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 18**

The morning light seeped in through the slight crack in the window as the girl in the deep slumber rolled over and continued sleeping, breathing in and out peacefully. The room was dark, despite the sun outside shining through and even when the beaming rays hit her eyelids, she did not wake. She was sound asleep and would have been for a few more hours if there wasn't a loud whip cracking noise that jolted her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in bed.

Her room was pleasantly empty, but even in the Muggle world she knew that a familiar noise like that wasn't a positive sign, especially in these dark times.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she slipped her feet into some fluffy light green slippers and stood up beside her bedside table, rummaging through it rapidly for her wand.

After discovering it underneath a blank piece of parchment, she snatched it up and turned to head down stairs when she gave a loud shriek and jumped backwards, instantly raising her wand to attack the assailant who had made their way into her house.

"Lily it's me!"

Upon recognising the memorable voice, she froze, but only lowered her wand slightly.

"James?"

She squinted, now wide awake but unable to comprehend why he might be standing there in her room at this time of day.

He smiled at her, and her wand clattered onto the bed as she made to run at him and give him a hug, but was almost bowled over backwards as she was shoved roughly against the wall, and was surprised to hear not just herself groan from the impact, but the boy in front of her.

"James, what the-"

"Ask me a question" he answered in a voice she couldn't comprehend. It wasn't friendly, but it wasn't angry or nasty either. With a sudden awareness, she realised it was more concerned and a little disappointed.

"What?"

"Just ask me a question!" he repeated in a demanding tone.

Lily fumbled for a moment with her choices, and then suddenly one came to mind.

"_Are you a virgin?"_

James winced, and then stepped back glaring at her.

"Yes" he snapped and Lily looked taken aback at this different person.

"What have I done?" she asked, annoyed.

James sighed and sat down on her bed and glanced up at her, running his fingers through his hair.

"You should never assume a person is who they appear to be. I could have been a Death Eater in disguise" he muttered, and she shrugged.

"I'm sorry" she murmured, glancing down at her fingers and twiddling them, her face going red.

"Hey, no… Lily. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you" he whispered, scooting over closer to her. She peeked up at him through her red hair, her fringe hiding her eyes from him.

She nodded slowly and James sighed.

"It's just that ever since the wedding, I thought you might have been a bit more sensitive about it. These are dark times, and no one trusts anyone these days. I'm sorry for being a prick" he told her gently, lifting her head up softly by her chin.

Hazel met emerald green and he flashed her a smile before pressing his lips against her forehead. His scent intoxicated her almost immediately, smelling of sweet cologne and apples. He must have recently changed his conditioner. Not that she was a stalker or anything.

He heard her sigh and he pulled back, giving her a worried look.

"You aren't upset with me, are you?"

She shook her head and grinned at him, pulling him into a huge cuddle. They only ceased when she felt him flinch and draw back from her, almost gasping loudly. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but there was no fooling her.

"What happened to you?" she asked, lifting his shirt and seeing scratches across his chest. They were long and deep, cutting into his abs as though he had been pierced by glass. It seemed to have been done by a large, ferocious animal of some sorts, but what animal that was she couldn't be sure.

"James-"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. They aren't as bad as they look" he lied quickly, and her responding glare told him he had been caught out.

"I don't believe you" she answered harshly and he pushed his shirt back down, grimacing as it brushed against his wounds.

"Like I said, it's nothing" he repeated standing up and walking over to her cupboard and leaning against it.

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but he jumped in before her.

"How was Alice?"

Lily's eyes suddenly narrowed at him.

"Fine. How was Remus?"

His eyes landed on her, as though wondering if she perhaps somehow knew. But she couldn't. How could she possibly?

"He's fine."

There was a nasty silence following as they both glared at the other, as though daring each other to ask another question.

"Run around much last night?"

James' hands slipped against the cupboard and his knees almost gave way as his eyes searched hers while he straightened himself up, as though he could find the answers in her eyes.

"Just like any other teenage boys" he muttered softly, and waited for her next question.

"I can't imagine Remus would have been well enough."

This was the last straw.

"What are you getting at?" he suddenly asked and his stare hardened.

"Why are you being so secretive?"

He ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly and turned his back on her, but he quickly turned back around and his eyes penetrated hers fiercely.

"You know what? Don't bother. I haven't got time for this" he snarled as he stormed over towards her bedroom door and slammed it shut behind him. She heard him taking the stairs two at a time and picked up her alarm clock and threw it at the wall in anger, glaring at it furiously.

It had broken apart, pieces of the clock hitting the floor and rolling around, some under the cupboard and the rest she assumed underneath her bed. To make it worse, there was now a dent in the wall.

If it wasn't for magic, her Father would have killed her.

* * *

They hadn't spoken the entire weekend. It wasn't as though it was her fault. She was worried about him and he had lied to her face about it. He was officially a jerk.

"Your theory isn't really true, is it?" Lily suddenly asked aloud and Severus smirked at her.

They were at the park, both sitting on the swings side by side as the wind blew the leaves of the tree on the late Sunday afternoon and Lily pushed herself forwards and backwards slowly, her feet scraping the bark chips underneath.

"Why? You wouldn't believe me when I tried to tell you last year, why now?" he answered sullenly, his hair falling like curtains around his face in order to hide his pain.

"I just… Lately I've been thinking about it. The more I do, the more it makes sense" she whispered and Severus watched her closely as though trying to read her mind.

"Why does it matter?"

Lily sighed deeply.

"Because he lied to me about it. It just proves he doesn't trust me. I get that Remus is his best friend, but I thought he knew me. He should know that I'm not going to go blabbing to everyone. Remus is my friend too" she muttered and Snape rolled his eyes at her without her noticing.

"Obviously he's not worthy of you if he doesn't care enough to share something that major with you" he told her, trying to hide the hope in his voice. Why couldn't she feel the same way he felt about her? They didn't have to be like this anymore. Things could be different. A good different.

"I still care about him though" Lily mumbled quietly and Severus' heart tightened as the word hammered nails into his heart, getting harder and harder every time the words ran through his mind.

He suddenly pictured the two of them, back when they were much younger, before they had even arrived at Hogwarts. He wanted to go back to the time when he could call her his. She was his flower. But not anymore. Her heart obviously belonged to another.

"Maybe it wasn't supposed to work out. What if you are just the baby-sitter?"

Lily glanced up at him and sighed sadly.

"When we're together, it feels so much more than that. I can see a future with James."

Severus' heart panged as it sank lower into his stomach, shrivelling up inside of him and ripping into a million pieces.

"But what if he doesn't?" he asked, desperation tearing at him. He needed her to be his Lily again. He missed this. He just wanted it to be the two of them against the world once more.

They were just children back then. He came from a house full of hostility where his parents didn't care about him. They hated each other, but his Mother couldn't leave and his so called Father was too proud to leave them alone. Lily had come from a family who had absolutely no idea of what their daughter really was. They couldn't ever understand their world, just like his Father. And her sister, her sister was horrible. She was cruel, not just to Lily but to him as well. He was nothing but a thorn in the side of Petunia Evans, being the one who had taken Lily away from her. The one who had told her everything. Had given her every bit of detail about the world they had both craved so much as children. And now he wanted nothing more of it. If he could just have things back the way they were with him and Lily before school, before Hogwarts then he would have everything. He would have her.

He seemed to have zoned out as he was watching Lily talk, but no sound was coming out. No noise escaped her lips and yet suddenly, they were saying his name the way he had always dreamed her to say it. Her words, her voice whispered his name, as though she desired him. As though she wanted no one but him. In the back of his mind, it was just the two of them in a room; she was drawing closer to him. So close that he could count the freckles on her nose. She was so incredibly close now…

"Severus?"

He shook his head vigorously and noticed that his mouth had been hanging open the entire time. His face flushed an immediate dark red and he looked away from her, his gaze burning into the ground and wishing it would open up and swallow him whole.

"Yes?"

She sighed.

"Were you even listening to me?"

He grimaced at her apologetically and she shook her head.

"Never mind. I'm going to get ice cream. Would you like some?"

He shook his head slowly.

"I'm fine. I think I'm going to go home. It was good seeing you again" he replied, standing up and tightening his cloak around himself.

"Bye Sev" she said, waving at him as he took one last look at her and swept from the playground as though he glided across the ground, almost floating.

He would always miss his Lily.

* * *

Monday morning meant she had to go to work and she and James still weren't talking. She had to force herself to get up a she thought of Aaron and Jessie's disappointed faces if she didn't turn up at the Potter's house.

She pulled on her white tank top which read "Life is uncertain. Eat desert first" in black writing and threw it over the top of her head and glanced at herself in the mirror. Her baggy grey trackies made her feel comfortable, and she didn't feel as though she was dressing to impress anyone. She just didn't care how she looked.

She then made her way into the bathroom and glanced at her bright red hair. With one flick of her wand it was down and straight, her fringe falling just above her eyebrows. She then brushed her teeth and looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at herself.

She was not going to let James get to her today. She was going to be calm and collected. She was going to be easy going and mature about it.

She went back into her room and slipped on her blue canvas skate shoes and fumbled around the room for her keys before remembering she had left them in the kitchen after she had got back from the park. She grabbed her wallet and hurried down the stairs and found Petunia and her Father sitting down eating breakfast.

"Morning" she greeted, not her usual cheery self, but she didn't seem upset or bothered either. She was more of a mix in between.

Petunia's nose crinkled in disgust as she caught sight of what she was wearing.

"Why aren't you all dressed up? You're babysitting your boyfriend's siblings!" she reminded her in a piercing shriek and Lily glowered at her. It wasn't as though she needed to be reminded that.

"Since when do I need to impress anyone?" she responded, buttering herself some toast.

Petunia rolled her eyes.

"You are so fashionably wrong" she told her in an uptight voice and Lily shrugged, taking a bite out of her toast.

"Petunia, worry less about other people. Isn't Vernon due soon?" their Father interjected timidly.

Lily groaned inwardly, suddenly placing her toast back onto her plate distastefully. She had to leave as soon as possible before he came.

She stood from her seat and took her plate over to the sink and sat it beside it, turning back around.

"You don't need the car today?" Lily asked and her Father glanced at her.

"Do you mind?" he asked pleadingly and she couldn't bring herself to tell him no.

"It's fine, I don't mind walking" she told him with a smile, only half lying.

"As soon as I get enough money I'll get my own" he promised and she shook her head.

"Dad its fine, there's not much point anyway. I'm going back to Hogwarts soon" she reminded him and he nodded thoughtfully.

"True. Have a good day sweetheart" he said as she bent down and kissed his cheek.

"You too. Bye 'Tunia" Lily called over her shoulder as she walked down through the hallway and almost ran into Vernon when she opened the door.

"Hi" she greeted politely, her insides squirming unpleasantly as she had to step aside to let the large man through. His moustache twitched repulsively as he brushed past her, his belly almost squishing her against the wall. She sighed and closed the door behind her and made her way to the Potter's, wanting to turn back and run into her room every step of the way.

* * *

It wasn't the best day to be honest.

James was nowhere to be seen, apparently he was upstairs sleeping. _More like avoiding me, _Lily thought angrily to herself as she cut up Jessie and Aaron's sandwiches.

She brought them over and sat them in front of the children who began wolfing them down almost instantly. Sirius was sitting on the end of the table, watching Lily curiously.

"Do you want one?" Lily asked him and he smiled at her and shrugged.

"Sure? Why not?"

She smiled back and bustled back over to the counter, anything to avoid the subject of James.

The doorbell chimed suddenly and before Lily could leave to answer it, Sirius had shot out of his chair and was at the door in a matter of seconds.

When he came back however, Lily almost sliced her finger when she was cutting Sirius' sandwich.

Behind Sirius was a girl taller than he was with very long pale blond hair and bright blue eyes. Her legs were incredibly lengthy and the short skirt she wore really complimented them. The black boob tube she was wearing emphasised the size of her breasts. And she was not at all close to being flat chested either.

"Hi Roseanne, I'm Lily. The baby-sitter" the redhead exclaimed walking around the bench and holding out a hand for the blonde to shake.

From the revolted look on the girl's face, Lily slowly lowered her hand, not knowing what to do or say.

"Lily, this isn't Roseanne. This is-"

"Ashley?"

Everyone in the kitchen turned to see James standing in the doorway in a pair of black jeans, a white singlet and a black and blue checkered shirt which wasn't done up and had the sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

"James!" Ashley exclaimed and let out a shrilly squeal as she bounded over to him and pulled him into a tight hug, catching him off guard. But he wasn't the only one. Something very unfamiliar had reared up inside Lily, something that made her feel extremely furious the moment Ashley wrapped her arms around James. Lily had never been jealous of any girl before, and this left her curious and annoyed at herself.

"Wow, Ashley. It's been awhile" James muttered when he pulled back from her. The blonde grinned widely at him and she remained standing close to him.

"I know, I was just passing through the neighbourhood and thought I'd drop by" Lily raised her eyebrows and went back to fixing up Sirius sandwich.

"Ashley?" Jessie asked and the girl glanced down at her, a false smile on her face.

"Hi Jennie" she answered and pinched her cheek gently.

"Actually it's-"

"So, James. What are you doing tonight?" she asked and James briefly glanced over at Lily who was deliberately fussing over Sirius' sandwich in order to ignore the desire to throw the knife at the blonde girl's back.

"I don't have any plans, why's that?"

She shrugged and winked at him.

"Why don't we go out for dinner and catch up? I'm only in town for a couple of nights" she explained and he nodded slowly.

"Okay, sounds good. Do you want me to meet you somewhere or-"

"We could go now if you like, it's already the afternoon. We could watch a movie or go to my friend's party before dinner if you like" she interrupted, practically batting her eyelashes obviously at him.

James smiled and shrugged.

"Sure, I'll just go do my hair and finish getting ready, I'll meet you back down here in a minute okay?"

James turned and bounded back up the stairs and Ashley turned around and crossed her arms patiently.

Lily walked over and plonked Sirius' plate on the table half gently and he raised his eyebrows as she walked back over to the fridge and poured herself a drink.

"So I thought you said that you were the baby-sitter?" Ashley asked and Lily glanced up at her, frowning.

"I am."

"No offence, but you seem more like a maid or something" she answered, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Well a normal baby-sitter's job is to make food when the children you sit for are hungry" she replied hotly and Ashley raised her eyebrows.

"I know, I was the last baby-sitter" she responded and Lily's face whitened as she sat the knife and chopping board in the sink, turning her back on her.

James had dated all the previous baby-sitters, which meant Ashley was one of them ad he had just agreed to go out to dinner with her and possibly watch a movie or go to a party together. He was going on a date with her? They hadn't even broken up; Lily thought it was just a misunderstanding, she hoped they could sort everything out today. But no, James was running off to his ex-girlfriend.

And speak of the devil; James hurried back down the stairs and into the kitchen, smiling at everyone as he did so.

"Ready?" Ashley asked and he nodded and noticed Lily stiffen as she continued washing the dishes and he tore his eyes from her.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys later" he told them with a wave and kissed Jessie on the top of the head and then he and Ashley left the kitchen, closing the front door loudly behind them.

"Lily? Are you angry at James?"

Lily turned around and her eyes slowly met Aaron's and she forced a smile.

"Why would you think that?"

"You two haven't really talked much today, and James was home all weekend being a git" he answered honestly and Lily frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He was listening to his noise again and wouldn't come downstairs" Jessie piped up and Lily sighed.

"We'll be okay" she assured them and finished doing the dishes.

"What do you kids say about spending some time outside?" she asked and Aaron was the first to leap off of his seat.

"Yeah!" he bolted out of the kitchen, with Jessie trailing along behind him excitedly. Lily glanced at Sirius who held out an arm to her.

"Come on, love. You and I need a chat."

* * *

"Who is she?"

Sirius sighed and looked away for a moment before glancing back at her.

"How do I even begin to describe Ashley? Well, I hate to say this, Lils, but she was the only other baby-sitter who had a real effect on James. And no, not the same kind that you have. James really, really cares about you. He'd do anything for you, you know" he murmured and Lily ran her fingers through her hair.

"I just… Why is he doing this? He didn't even speak to me. And now he's with _her_. That just tops the icing on my cake" she muttered sarcastically and Sirius' eyes lit up.

"You have cake?"

She shook her head.

"No, sorry. What do you mean by 'effect?' Should I be worried about that?"

Sirius glanced up at her.

"Ashley is not an angel, to be exact. She is manipulative, sneaky, demanding and extremely high maintenance. She didn't give a shit about the kids; I spent more time looking after the then she did because she was busy making out with James… Sorry, Lils" he added grimacing at her and she shrugged, her face looking sullen.

"She had some sort of hold over James, I don't know what it was, but around everyone else, they thought she was innocent. I was the only one who saw her for what she was. A cold-hearted Bitch who only cared about herself. She never had real feelings for him; she just liked having control over him. He changed for her. He was a great guy, but then he met her and he turned into a real prick. I love him, but I'm being honest. And then he finally got rid of her. Don't ask me how, he never told me the full story. But I wasn't sorry to see her go…" Sirius trailed off, his eyes glazing over.

Lily gave him a few moments and then asked him again.

"Should I be worried, Sirius?"

He shrugged.

"James wouldn't hurt you, Lily. But… She can control him easily. She has like, this mind-controlling power thing or whatever you call it. She's the complete opposite of innocent."

Lily sighed and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"I just really wanted to sort things out today, and instead he avoided it and left with his ex-girlfriend. Where does that leave us?"

Sirius patted her other hand gently.

"Wherever you want it to" he said wisely and she sighed once again and gave him a small, unsure smile.

* * *

It was late when James finally came home. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had asked Lily to stay back while they went out for a late dinner party with some work colleagues. She was sitting on the bottom stair, the children had gone to bed hours ago and Sirius too, had surrendered himself to sleep.

James jumped when he turned to walk up the stairs and caught sight of Lily, his hand grasping his chest as he gave a small shout of shock.

"What are you doing down there?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Your parents asked me to stay longer, they're at a work party" she replied softly, only looking at him briefly before looking away again.

"Why are you sitting on the stairs?" he asked her and she shrugged in reply.

He sighed loudly.

"We need to talk, don't we?"

She stood up, suddenly not wanting to be around him anymore.

"What's there to talk about, James? You don't trust me, and you don't want me anymore. And I honestly don't blame you. I'm not as stunning as Ashley. I hope the two of you are happy together" Lily answered and as she went to pass him to go into the kitchen, James grabbed her by the arm, stopping her instantly.

"I'm not with Ashley. I'm with you" he reassured her in a firm voice and she raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure you've been avoiding me all day and then as soon as your ex-girlfriend comes-"

"She wanted to catch up with me! I'm not allowed to have friends anymore?"

"A dinner and the movies? Funny, I'm pretty sure that was the same date we went on! Is that how you treat all the baby-sitters, James? As if they actually mean something to you and then-"

"You mean everything to me, and it wasn't a date" he exclaimed, his eyes piercing hers.

"Why? I'm not anywhere near as pretty as her, I'm not sexy and I don't have long legs or big breasts and-"

"Lily! Lily stop! Just stop!" he shouted, pushing her up against the wall so that she wouldn't escape as she kept trying to push past him.

"You are beautiful, and amazing. I don't care if you don't have big boobs that look like you'd bought them or even if you're short; I love you for who you are! And trust me, you are incredibly sexy. If I had a choice between a blonde in a tight top and skirt, and a gorgeous redhead in trackies and a singlet, I would still always choose you. I love you, Lily. I don't want Ashley. I want you" he expressed earnestly, and he frowned when he saw a tear roll down her cheek.

"Then why don't you trust me?"

He stared at her with a puzzled expression.

"What? Lily, I do. I do trust you, I promise" he told her definitely and she shook her head.

"Then why wouldn't you tell me what happened to you? I was worried about you and just wanted to show that I care and you completely shut me out. You stormed out of my room because I wanted to know what had hurt you and-"

"It's not my secret to tell. Believe me, Lils, if I could tell you, than I would. But it's not right for me to do that to my friend" he murmured and sighed loudly, running one of his hands through his hair.

"I know about Remus. And I understand that you wanted to protect your friend, but it broke my heart thinking that you couldn't trust me" she whispered and he stared at her, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Come here" he muttered, pulling her by the hand into the kitchen and they sat down at the table.

"Now, what I'm going to tell you needs to stay between the two of us. No one, and I mean no one, can know about what I'm about to tell you" he told her sternly and she nodded slowly.

He sighed before beginning his explanation.

"You're not going to like this" he whispered.

"When we were just young boys, in our second year we found out about Remus' secret. We found out where he really went every full moon, we found out what happened to him when he transformed because once we confronted him he was honest with us. He said that transforming was lonely and extremely painful and to be quite frank, he looked terrible after every full moon. Worse than terrible. It hurt us to see our friend go through all of this by himself. And we set out to help solve his problem. By fifth year, Sirius, Peter and I each became an Animagus."

Lily's mouth suddenly dropped as she stared at him in a mixture of awe and annoyance.

"But, you can't be! After we found out about McGonagall I went and looked her up on the list of Registered Animagi and-"

"Unregistered Animagi" James interrupted and Lily's eyes narrowed.

"Are you stupid? Do you realise how much trouble you could get into? And how on earth did you manage that at that young age? Even the most skilled witches and wizards have trouble with it. Something could have gone wrong and-"

"But it didn't. We're fine. We needed to find a way to help Remus during his transformations and we figured that if we accompanied him in animal form than it would make it easier on him. And it did. We actually all started looking forward to transformations, including Remus. Well, a bit more than he did any other times anyway. He never really looked forward to them much."

"That's what you were doing when you stayed at his, wasn't it? That's how you got those scratches. James… I don't know… What am I supposed to say?"

He smiled and leaned towards her, his eyes staring into hers.

"Would you like to see my Animagus form?"

Lily's heart immediately started thumping and she nodded slowly, unsure of what to expect.

He grinned and stood up, taking hold of her hand and pulling her out the back door behind him. He led them over to a tree and stopped, telling her to stay where she was as he walked a short distance from her.

"James-"

But Lily became silent immediately as in the very place James Potter had been standing a few seconds ago stood a large, gallant chocolate brown stag with huge antlers and as she moved closer she noticed his hazel eyes staring back at her curiously.

She slowly moved towards him, and as she neared him she held out her hand and he nudged it with his soft, velvety nose and she gasped at how silky it felt when she rubbed it slowly with her fingertips. Their eyes met, and Lily smiled down at him as he gently nuzzled her chest and she laughed, playfully pushing him away.

"You sleaze" she reprimanded and the stag slowly began to mould back into his human body as he suddenly seemed to be standing over her and staring into her eyes.

"Sorry, my animal instincts took over" he said as he sniggered, making her roll her eyes.

"James, you know before when you told me that you loved me?"

James gaze suddenly became more serious and he cleared his throat.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean it?"

He suddenly softened as if he had melted like an ice cream and stepped closer to her, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Of course I do, I love you" he murmured tenderly and she blushed darkly, although it wasn't very easy to easy in the darkness surrounding them.

"I love you too" she whispered in reply, and he grinned as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers delicately, closing in the space between them as he wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that for a long time until they heard his parents coming in through the front door and they went inside to join them.

* * *

James ended up walking Lily back to her house, and as they climbed the stairs quietly, (her father was in bed), they made their way into her bedroom and she closed the door quietly behind them.

James frowned at her as she took him by the hand and pulled him towards the bed and pushed him down on it and crawled up beside him, snuggling into his warm embrace.

"I should go" he said finally, not wanting to leave her. She shook her head and pulled back.

"I don't want you to go; I don't want to be alone. I've missed you. Stay with me" she begged, and he sighed.

"I'm leaving in the earliest hours of the morning" he warned her and she chuckled lightly.

"It kind of is morning" she reminded him and he rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean, now scoot over" he demanded plopping himself under the covers. Lily sighed and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"I'm going to change into my pyjamas okay?" he nodded as she stood and made her way over to the door, but paused.

"James?"

He looked up at her with a curious expression.

"Yes?"

"I love you" she answered with a huge smile.

"I love you too, Lily."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Wow, end of another chapter! I hope you guys like it, this took me a long time to write. I wrote part of a chapter but didn't like it so I started again. I hope this appeals to you all though!**

**I'm sorry for taking so long, with homework and more homework, life has been pretty hectic. Plus I needed to take my time and think about what I wanted to write so I guess I could add in a little bit of writer's block. But that's solved now.**

**Many happy readings, and once again, if you haven't checked out my latest new story "Love is the Heart of Acceptance, Hate is the Heart of Denial", please do so and leave me a review on what you think of it. It would really boost my confidence :D**

**I love you all, and now I must sleep.**

**Love always and forever,**

_**LilyHeartsJames**_

**xoxoxoxox**


	19. Chapter 19

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary:**_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer:**_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication:**_To all those who reviewed and waited patiently for this update; thanks a bunch!_

**Notes:**_Sorry about the long wait, I was focusing on spending time with my family and friends during the holidays and also I was focusing on __**Love is the Heart of Acceptance, Hate is the Heart of Denial**__. If anyone is interested or not happy about waiting for updates then go read that and let me know how it is by reviewing, please._

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

"LILY! Aaron hid Cindy-Jane from me and I c-can't find h-her" Jessie wailed as she fled down the stairs into the kitchen where Sirius, Lily and James were sitting in the kitchen sipping on coffee and casually chatting.

Lily raised an eyebrow as Jessie hurried over to her and buried her head into her shoulder, tears beginning to flow down her rosy red cheeks.

"Have you two been fighting?" she asked suspiciously and Jessie sniffed before answering.

"I accidentally tripped over h-his skateboard and it b-broke. He's really, really mad so he took Cindy-Jane and s-said he was g-going to b-burn h-her!" Jessie explained as she started sobbing and Lily rubbed her back.

"How about I go upstairs and talk to him? Ask James if he can get you something to drink" she said kindly before standing up and allowing Jessie to take her seat who sat down and stared pointedly at James until he finally surrendered and made his way over to the fridge.

Lily made her way up the stairs two at a time until she reached Aaron's bedroom. She knocked until she was given permission to enter and she slipped into the room where Aaron sat on his bean bag reading a comic book.

She walked over and sat down on his bed and he didn't even look up or acknowledge her being there.

"What are you reading?" she asked gently and Aaron shrugged in reply.

"Batman and Robin. I know why you're here" he added resentfully and Lily watched him carefully as he picked at a hole in his cargo pants.

"I know you do, the entire neighbourhood probably does" she said lightly and this made him smile.

"Aaron… Look at me."

He sighed and sat his comic book aside, turned and leaned his chin on the side of his bed, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Thank you. Where's Cindy-Jane?" she asked glancing around his room quickly for any sign of the doll.

"You won't find her here" he said meekly and she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Well where can I find her?"

He shrugged and said; "Mum won't buy me a new skateboard; she hates them. Dad got it for me."

Lily sighed and leaned back on the wall.

"Can I see if I can fix it?"

He stood up and walked over to his cupboard and opened it, returning his skateboard which had the wheel missing and was broken in half.

"You know if you didn't leave it lying around, Jessie wouldn't have tripped over. It's a bit of a dangerous thing to do, buddy" she said softly as he dumped it on the bed. He picked his wheel up from his bedside table and added it to his demolished board.

"I know, I forgot about it. I caught her before she hit the ground" he added and Lily noticed his chest puff out a bit at these words.

Trying not to giggle, she patted his shoulder kindly.

"Being skilled at Quidditch has helped out with your reflexes. She could have been seriously injured, you're a hero" she told him proudly and she saw his eyes flicker towards his comic book for a second before looking back up at her and blushing.

"Like Batman?"

She grinned at him.

"Even better than Batman himself" she said and he smiled at her.

"Even if my board can't be fixed, I'll still tell you where the doll is. It's what Batman would do right?"

Lily nodded slowly, watching him intently as he let out a small sigh.

"She's in the cupboard under the stairs. We aren't allowed in there so I know Jessie wouldn't have looked there" he supplied and Lily offered to give him a high five.

"Let's go find her, I'm sure Jessie would appreciate getting her from you more than me" she told him and they each stood up and walked down the stairs to the cupboard. Aaron opened it and pulled Cindy-Jane out (who was thankfully unscathed) and then closed the door. He walked over to the cupboard across from it and pulled the padlock out and then padlocked the cupboard shut.

"That's where Mum and Dad hide James and Sirius' Zonko's products" he explained and she chuckled loudly.

"No wonder you and Jessie aren't allowed in there."

* * *

"Cindy-Jane!" Jessie cried running over and Aaron held the doll out to his sister.

"I'm sorry for hiding her, I shouldn't have done it" he said softly and Jessie smiled at him and took Cindy-Jane into her arms, hugging her. She then looked up at her brother sadly.

"I'm sorry about your skateboard, I didn't mean to; I promise over Merlin's beard!" she said seriously and he laughed at her and shrugged.

"It's okay, accidents happen" he said and gave her a small awkward hug before pulling away.

"Want to go fly our brooms?" Jessie asked, intending to make it up to him and he nodded and they turned and ran outside laughing together.

"Nice work, Evans. How'd you do that?" Sirius asked in awe and Lily shrugged and re-joined the table.

"I got through to him with his comics. To be a real hero you need to restore peace to the city" she said with a small smirk and Sirius raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Okaaaaaay, whatever. I'm hungry and I feel like buying lunch. Who's up for a walk to the park and some fish and chips?"

Lily grinned and nodded, looking out the window at the kids who were racing each other contently on their brooms.

"Why don't you and James walk down and grab them, and I'll set up a picnic blanket in the backyard?" Lily suggested and Sirius and James' eyes lit up happily.

"Deal!" Sirius and James said simultaneously and as Sirius bounded out of the kitchen, James grabbed some money from the cookie jar on the bench and began to run after his friend until Lily cleared her throat pointedly.

"Oh, right" he said hurrying back and smiling down at her. "I'll be back, my love" he promised, pecking her lightly on the forehead.

"You better not eat them all on the way back" Lily threatened and James winked, blew a kiss and left the kitchen.

* * *

Remus Lupin sat on the picnic rug talking with Lily as Aaron and Jessie washed their hands in the kitchen and found cups. While the boys were gone, Lily had gotten the sudden idea to invite Remus along for a surprise. She had asked Peter as well but he was busy helping out in his Mother's shop once again.

Remus scrutinised Lily until finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"I've been waiting for you to bring it up, and I'm guessing you've been doing the same to me?"

She chuckled, nodding slowly and smiling awkwardly.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. Remus I would never tell any-"

"I know, Lily. I trust you. James wrote to me this morning… I understand if you no longer want to me my-"

"Remus John Lupin! Don't you dare even finish that sentence! Of course I'm still your friend; you can't get rid of me that easily!" she reprimanded him and he smiled at her happily.

"I'm sorry, I just… I don't want another person worrying over me" he chuckled and Lily shrugged at him and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Today she had her fringe pinned back and the rest of her hair was down, with half of it pulled up. She was also wearing a light grey t-shirt and black skinny leg jeans with her red ballet flat shoes. She looked up at Remus and speculated him carefully before he rolled his eyes at her.

"Lily, I'm fine. I've recovered fully" he told her and she blushed darkly at being caught at what she thought she was sneakily doing.

Aaron and Jessie came walking back out of the door and sat down the cups and juice on the rug beside plates and utensils. Jessie also placed a vase in the middle with a single pink camellia inside it. Lily smiled and thanked them and they sat beside them, with Jessie sitting beside Remus and blushing.

"That's an interesting flower, Jessie. Where did you get it from?" he asked curiously and Jessie giggled at being addressed by him.

"Mummy grows them. I only took one though, because Aaron said she might be upset if we picked all of them" she said quietly and Aaron poured her a cup of juice and handed it to her, and continued with Lily and Remus' juice.

"How are you Aaron?" Remus asked taking his juice and thanking him and Aaron shrugged as he passed some to Lily who thanked him as well.

"I'm okay; Jessie and I went flying before" he told him excitedly and Remus nodded and smiled.

"It sounds like you've been having fun. When do you go back to school?"

Aaron let out a loud huff at the mention of school.

"Three more days… I don't want to go back, I like sleeping in and having fun" he exclaimed and Jessie gasped.

"It's going to be my first day at school! I can't wait!" she shouted as she jumped up and ran around the three people tapping their heads and saying, "duck… duck… duck…" and before she could call out goose, James and Sirius bounded through the back door with smiles on their faces and a bag under their arms. She hurried over and sat down beside Remus before anyone could take her spot.

"Moony! How are you old chap?" Sirius called and hurried over to him, plonking the bag of chips in the middle and sitting between Aaron and Jessie. James made his way over and sat beside Lily, kissing her cheek and opening the bag before Jessie and Aaron could claw at it.

They all began placing chips, fish and nuggets on their plates and added the sauces they preferred and began eating and talking amongst one another happily. Lily smiled as she watched everyone getting along, and couldn't help but feel she didn't really want to go back to Hogwarts in a couple of days. She liked spending time with the Potter family, and although James, Sirius and Remus would be there with her, she would really miss the children. She had enjoyed their company over the holidays.

* * *

After having the dessert that the boys had bought as a surprise, the children went back to flying on their brooms and James was lying on the rug with his head in Lily's lap, talking to the boys while Lily watched the children smile, laugh and call out to each other mockingly as they danced away from the other in their game of Quidditch chasey.

"Lily?"

She suddenly turned her head back to the boys with a frown on her face.

"Sorry?"

Remus and Sirius snickered at her and she poked her tongue out at them indignantly.

"We were just wondering if you wanted to get your books with us tomorrow. We were thinking of bringing the kids along, unless you already have plans of course" Remus explained and she shrugged and shook her head with a smile.

"No, that's fine. I should probably get mine too. If that's okay with-"

"I cleared it with Mum this morning, don't fret" James interrupted with a cheeky smile and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, then I suppose we can, but only if Sirius is on his best behaviour" Lily said smirking at the boy in mention who rolled his eyes at her.

"Aren't I always?"

"Hey, Padfoot. What's the go with Roseanne?"

Sirius suddenly grinned wickedly and Remus frowned suspiciously at him.

"Whaaaaaaat?"

He shrugged.

"She's gone back to her husband" he explained with a serious look upon his face and James burst out laughing at him.

"Yeah right" he said chortling and Lily and Remus stared at him disbelievingly.

"Are you serious?" Remus asked before realising the horrible pun.

Sirius rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm always Sirius."

There was silence as everyone glared at him and he raised his arms in the air in defeat.

"I'm not even going to begin explaining how old that is" James mumbled and Sirius shrugged.

"Roseanne is married?"

Lily watched him closely and he sighed.

"She found out I'm still at school, and I found out she was actually married. It pretty much ended there" he answered and Remus cocked an eyebrow.

"Pretty much?"

He grinned mischievously.

"Well… We went back to hers for a while and then-"

"Spare us the details!" James cut in, pressing his hands against his ears to permit him from hearing anymore.

"Really, James? Were my ears deceiving me at six in the morning, or were you getting in from staying at Lily's… All night?"

Remus' mouth dropped as did Lily's and James sat up quickly, his hands held out defensively.

"Look, before you jump to conclusions, it wasn't what you're no doubt thinking-"

"Prongsy and Lily sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"Shut it!" James shouted pouncing on him and Sirius laughed.

"James and Lily got it on! All night long!"

"We didn't do that!" James said trying to suffocate his friend and Sirius giggled, prying James' hands from his mouth.

"I was wondering when the two of you were going to have sex!"

"We didn't have sex! I'm a bloody virgin!"

There was silence as Sirius suddenly sat up, frowning.

"No you're not; you told us you slept with what's her face-"

"I lied. I didn't want you guys to think I was whipped or… Lame" he muttered and Sirius' jaw dropped open.

"You lied?"

James nodded slowly, with an apologetic look upon his face.

Sirius burst out laughing, sprawled out on his back surprising everyone else.

"That's why you broke up with Ashley, wasn't it? She wanted to have sex with you and-"

Lily cleared her throat awkwardly and James took hold of her hand and Sirius clamped his mouth shut.

"Sorry Lils" he murmured smiling at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

Remus shook his head.

"James, we wouldn't have thought you were-"

"A prude?" Sirius put in and James glared at him.

"I'll have you know that I am no prude" he said and Sirius grinned at him and shrugged.

"If you say so!"

James sighed heavily.

"So you and Roseanne are over? Completely?"

Sirius nodded, smiling nonetheless.

"Yeah, it kind of sucks, but she's someone's wife. I couldn't keep seeing her and being the other man; especially considering I'm going back to school" he said with a shrug and Lily patted his hand gently, smiling sorrowfully at him.

"It's okay; I wasn't in love with her or anything. She was great though, I did like her. However, I'll be okay. Don't stress, Lilykins" he added with a wink and stood up, stretching.

"Why don't we go have some coffee or something? I'm killing for some caffeine" he muttered and they followed him inside.

* * *

Over dinner that night, Mr. and Mrs. Potter shared stories about their day at work; both somehow including having an apple pie thrown in their faces at different times by a mad person with rainbow hair, big shoes and a shiny red nose.

As Lily giggled at this, she noticed all eyes on her questioningly and after clearing her throat, wiped her face with her napkin.

"Clowns; they're a kind of Muggle circus performers usually. My parents took Petunia and I to see one when we were younger" she explained with a smile at the fond memory. James grinned as he saw that Lily wasn't frowning like she normally did when her Mother was brought up, which he assumed meant she was more accepting of her new family arrangements.

"Yes, well the Muggle department had a lot of explaining to do. It appears they borrowed the costumes as a sort of practical joke" Mr. Potter chuckled as he sipped from his wine glass.

"You're a clown" Aaron piped up pointing at Jessie who poked her tongue out at her brother who was sitting opposite her. She smiled at Lily nicely before shovelling down some vegetables eagerly.

"So, Lily; how's your Father? Is he liking his new job?" Mrs. Potter asked and Lily grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, he's finally happy again. He's been going out after work with friends, and having fun. It's good to see him come back from work with a smile on his face" she murmured, smiling to herself as she picked up her glass of apple juice and gulped a mouthful.

Mr. Potter nodded, smiling too. "It's good to hear he's moving on, and is spending time with other people" he replied, winking at her. Her Father and Mr. Potter had spent some time with each other the other night when they had gone over to Lily's house for dinner again, and had found they had a lot in common and seemed to get on quite well.

"It is nice to see, I'm really glad he's okay" James piped up and Lily beamed at him as she watched him shovel down his food ecstatically, as though it was his last meal. She shook her head at him and he shrugged.

"Daddy! Are you going to take me to school?" Jessie asked with a smile on her face and Mr. Potter mirrored her excitement.

"You bet kiddo. I wouldn't miss it for the world" he promised, kissing her forehead.

Jessie then looked at her Mother who nodded before swallowing.

"My boss gave me the morning off, so your Father and I are going to take you" she informed her and Jessie clapped her hands excitedly.

"Remus! I'm going to school! I'm going to read lots of books and draw pictures!" she exclaimed looking at him expectantly and he chuckled at her.

"That's great, Jess. You'll be learning in no time. And then it won't be long until you get to Hogwarts" he responded smiling and Jessie giggled and leaned her elbow on the table, not realising it was in her potato.

Sirius sniggered and raised his eyebrows at Remus suggestively who glared back in return and shook his head at him.

Lily rolled her eyes at them and James cleared his throat, pushing his crystal clear plate away.

"That was lovely, thanks Mum" he said standing and winking at his Mother.

"Oh, Jessie. Are you finished?"

She nodded and her Father cackled delightedly.

"James would you get her something to wipe her arm?" he asked and James nodded and took his plate and hers over to the kitchen sink.

"You're a mess, Jess!" Sirius told her and she poked her tongue out at him, causing him to retaliate.

* * *

"It was a good day" James said later that night as he and Lily walked towards her house after dinner. They were holding hands and leaning in close to one another and Lily sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I have to admit, I'm going to miss them. It was a good day" she murmured and James wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her forehead.

"You'll get to see them tomorrow" he reassured her and she nodded slightly.

"I know, it's just that it feels like my days with them are numbered, you know? It's the last day I'll get to babysit them tomorrow. And then I'm going back to Hogwarts" she whispered and he squeezed her shoulder gently.

"At least you got to spend the entire summer with them; it meant a lot to them to find someone that they could finally trust, someone they knew wouldn't up and leave them because of me" he told her with a smile and she shrugged.

"Well to be honest, it wasn't about you. It was about them. Until I fell in love with them. Then it was about all of you" she said softly and he chuckled.

"I like it when you say that, it's nice" he admitted and they turned into her driveway.

They reached the door in silence and she turned to face him.

"Stay with me again?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and he smiled at her, shaking his head.

"And miss out on a sleepover with the boys? How could I?" he asked looking shocked and pulled her into a hug. "Besides, your Dad almost caught me leaving last time."

She chuckled at the memory of James' white face hurrying back into her room and then climbing out the window.

"It's okay, I need to have a shower anyway" she replied ruffling her hair and winking at him. His mouth dropped as her triumphant smirk made him want to take back his offer.

"Now Lily, that is very, very mean. Right after I said I can't and all" he said, pretending to tell her off.

She laughed at his antics and shrugged.

"Oh well, it was your choice. I might even shave my legs, so they can be all _soft_ and _smooth_" she added as an afterthought and she heard his sigh as he leaned his head into her shoulder.

"You're definitely something, Lily Evans" he mumbled and she pressed her lips to the top of his ear, making him shudder and jump back.

"Now that's just nasty" he reprimanded and she rolled her eyes.

"Go back to your boys and have a cold shower" she instructed, her eyes dancing playfully.

"After the image you placed in my mind? I might have to" he responded cheekily and she blushed slightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow. We meeting at Florean Fortescues?" he asked and she nodded eagerly.

"You better have an ice cream waiting for me!" she answered kissing his cheek gently.

He grinned and leant forward, his lips catching hers as he tilted her chin slightly upwards and snaked his arms around her waist.

His tongue grazed the bottom of her lip as she allowed it, their lips parting slowly, becoming more intensely ardent as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, and ran her fingers through his hair. She then began to kiss his neck passionately, causing him to lean his head back and sigh softly. Her lips moved to his ear, an evil smirk on her face as she nibbled on his ear lobe playfully, making him laugh quietly and then kissed the top of it gently, kissed back down to the lobe and sucked on it. She heard his soft moan, and grinned as she stepped back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What was that about a cold shower, James?"

He glared at her playfully.

"You're horrible" he said pressing his lips to her forehead and hugging her gently.

"I hope you have a… Bonerific shower" she replied, using one of Sirius' choice of words and he blushed deeply.

"That's your fault you know" he said giving her hand a kiss and leaning against the wall, staring down at her intensely and she shrugged.

"Maybe you shouldn't reject me in future" she replied smirking and he sighed.

"Trust me, I don't think I could handle it" he muttered, leaning down and burning traces of kisses down her neck, his hand gently cradling the other side of it as he tilted it and sucked lightly on her skin. He heard her faint moan, and grinned as he kissed her neck more resolutely, enjoying where this was going. He felt her run her fingers carefully through his hair, and she leaned her head back against the wall as her eyes fluttered closed.

James suddenly kissed her ear and licked her lobe slowly, tantalisingly before whispering; "Two can play at this game, Evans."

Her emerald eyes snapped open in surprise, her mouth performing a perfect 'O' shape as he smirked mischievously at her, giving her the famous lopsided 'Potter grin'. He revelled at her sheer expression, one that he could see held lust and disappointment as he chuckled heavily at her.

"Sucks, doesn't it? Go back inside and have a _cold _shower" he instructed with a wink and she glared at him ferociously as she recognised her saying this to him earlier.

"That's not fair! You were supposed to be the one left hanging!" she sulked, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. He couldn't help himself, she looked so cute.

He lifted her chin to stare into her eyes.

"Darling, after all these years, you should know to never challenge a Marauder. We always win, my love" he said, kissing the side of her head and she sighed.

"I was supposed to though…" she said quietly, trailing off and he shrugged.

"There's always tomorrow" he suggested with a wink and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You suck. Go home" she replied and he grinned and kissed her lips once more before walking backwards slowly.

"I love you" he called out to her and despite wanting to pout, she smiled back at him.

"I love you too, James" she said blowing him a kiss and he made a dramatic effort of diving to the ground to catch it, grinning at her and she giggled at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow" she told him, waving as she opened the door and slipped inside.

* * *

Lily made her way back into her bedroom draped in a towel, her hair curled as she closed the door and turned on the light. She almost jumped back when she saw James lying out on her bed, his hands knotted at his fingers behind his head.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, blushing slightly as she made her way slowly over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"How long have you been here for?" she demanded and he grinned, sitting up.

"About five minutes. I just couldn't stay away. Sirius and Remus were watching a movie, so I decided to come back and visit to see if you were lying or not when you mentioned shaving your beautiful legs" he said and her face went an even darker shade of red.

She lifted her leg slightly, making sure it still covered her and leant it against the bed and he watched her carefully before gently touching her lower leg, using his thumb and four fingers to slide along slowly to her ankle and he smiled.

"Do you remember when you told me I had a nice body?" he asked with a chuckle and she went red once more.

"That was _so_ embarrassing! And then you told me that I had nice legs" she added and he shrugged at her.

"You do, I'm not lying" he said glancing back down at the one on her bed and continued trailing his hands along it, feeling the nice smoothness about it. "They're amazing."

She watched him closely and his eyes met hers for a moment before he leaned down and kissed her thigh. She cleared her throat and he looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No, don't apologise" she interrupted, caressing his cheek softly.

He sighed loudly.

"I love you" he said lifting her leg off her bed and patted the space beside him. She edged her way over next to him, making sure her towel stayed in place and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her back into his chest.

"And I love you" she replied quietly, smiling as she felt his breath tickle her ear.

"I don't want to rush things with you; I want things to be amazing for us. I don't want to ruin that by doing things before I'm ready, before we're ready-"

"James, I know. I'm not trying to pressure you because I want that for us too" she said turning her head and looking at his chin. She saw him smile and he nodded slowly.

"I know, I just… You make it bloody hard woman" he said with a chuckle and she sat up and turned to face him, her eyes widened.

"I am so sorry, I was just… I was just mucking around. I'll stop, I promise-"

He put a finger over her lips, silently shushing her.

"I don't want that, I like it when you do that. It's cute. I never thought I'd see the day Lily Evans became such a tease" he said with a wink and she blushed slightly.

"I could say the same to you, but it just comes with the James Potter charm" she responded and poked her tongue out at him and he grinned.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

She shook her head and looked away from him, but he pulled her face back to look at him.

"I mean it. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't ever want to lose you. That's why I want to take things as they come, and not rush into anything. I want to do things right. I've never had a relationship with someone who meant this much to me, and I want to make you happy" he told her with earnest eyes, his mouth twitching to smile as she stared at him deeply.

"You do, you really do. I'm a lot happier now then I was when I started" she promised and he kissed her forehead gently.

"I should get changed" she said and James chuckled.

"Well on that note I should probably leave" he said beginning to get up and Lily turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Or you could just stay" she said, winking at him and he sighed and chuckled.

"In my dreams maybe" he murmured with a smile.

She shrugged.

"Don't say I didn't offer."

He turned back to face her, his foot almost out the window.

"If I change my mind you're going to be mean and tell me to go aren't you?"

She giggled and shrugged.

"Why don't you wait and find out?"

He sighed, his face contemplating it.

She stood up and walked over to her cupboard and began pulling out clothes and James frowned.

"I feel like one of those thirteen year old peepers who aren't supposed to be watching" he muttered and he heard her laugh as she skilfully kept her towel on and pulled her blue monkey pyjama shorts up underneath it. Her towel dropped to the floor as she faced the door with her back to him and she slipped her grey lolly-pop t-shirt over her head and pulled it down.

She then turned to face him, smirking at his suspended jaw as it dangled metres from the ground. She raised an eyebrow and sat on her bed, grabbed the sorbolene cream and began rubbing it into her legs, watching him the entire time.

He finally closed his mouth and stood up, making his way over to the bed.

"Oh, I thought you were leaving?"

"Changed my mind" he said hoarsely, and cleared his throat as he sat down and took her leg and the cream and began rubbing them himself.

She grinned as he passed her some pillows and she laid back on them, watching his eyes roam hungrily over her legs.

"James."

He looked up into her eyes, gazing into them intensely.

"I hope I didn't cross any lines" she said honestly, glancing down at the bed and she heard him snigger.

"Trust me, there aren't any lines you could cross" he murmured, now rubbing the cream into the other leg, his eyes now tracing his every move.

"So I could basically get away with anything right now" she replied chuckling and he nodded slowly.

"You could kill a cat and I wouldn't bat an eye lid" he replied as his fingers drew circles on her legs, and leaned down and kissed each knee cap.

He looked up at her and she pulled him by the shirt so that he was leaning over her, his glasses slipping to the edge of his nose and his hair falling into his eyes.

"I'm glad we took a risk in being together" she whispered and he slowly lowered himself down, using her as a mattress.

"I know, me too. I hate to think if we didn't… I should probably be getting back to the guys, they'll start wondering where I am" he said nuzzling her nose with his.

She rolled her eyes. "Like it wouldn't take them long to figure out you're here."

He nodded and grinned, shrugging.

"I'm going to regret leaving you, my love. But I'll see you tomorrow. With ice cream" he said pushing strands of her hair behind her ears and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I love you, have _sweet_ dreams" she said with a sly wink and he chuckled, kissing her.

"Oh, I'll be needing that cold shower for sure" he muttered, kissing her forehead as he stood up and looked down at her.

"I love you too. And by the way, they are very, _very_ sexy pyjamas" he added, pulling himself out of the window.

Lily jumped up and bounded over to the window, leaning out of it to look at him.

"Oh, Merlin please don't do that. I can see up your shirt" he begged shielding his eyes and she gasped, placing her hand over her chest. He grinned, holding onto the window ledge with one hand and the other cradling the back of her head and kissing her gently.

"I don't want to leave now" he muttered sadly and she laughed quietly.

"Well, you don't have to…"

"_Lily_… You're making it hard enough as it is" he answered and she cocked an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm going home, I need a shower. I love you and goodnight" he said giving her one final kiss and was about to leave when she grabbed the neck of his shirt and he looked back at her curiously. He turned his head to the side and she grinned and leaned down, placing her lips softly to his forehead and holding her shirt to her chest so he couldn't peek.

He winked and climbed down the rest of the way and after waving and blowing her a kiss, he turned left and disapperated home. Lily sighed and rested her head against the window sill, smiling to herself.

She knew that no matter what happened, she would never feel this strongly for another person.

* * *

**Well, how was that? A tad nervous, not sure what people will think of it. Oh how I love forehead kisses, I don't know why I just think they're amazing.**

**And I have an announcement to make. I'm quite sure that next chapter will be the last one for this story. I haven't written it yet, but I have a feeling it will be. It just feels kind of right to leave it there.**

**I have an idea of how I want the chapter to end, but I might not be able to write it until next weekend, depending on homework and stuff. **

**I really hope you all like this chapter, and I would appreciate it if you took the time to review. It would make my day.**

**And never fear, for I still have another story going at the moment and if any of you would like to stick with me and give it a bit of a go, reviews are appreciated for that one too.**

**Thanks heaps, once again.**

**Until the next and final chapter,**

_**LilyHeartsJames**_

**Xoxoxox **


	20. Chapter 20

**James and the Baby-Sitter**

**By LilyHeartsJames**

**Summary:**_When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?_

**Disclaimer:**_Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(_

**Dedication:**_To every single reader, favouriter, alerter and reviewer; I appreciate you all so, so much. Thank you for sticking by me for this entire journey, I have loved each and every single one of you. Just remember, without all of you, this would never have happened so I really, really am grateful for everything. I'm going to miss all of you._

**Notes:**_And just like that, this journey is now at an end. The final chapter of James and the Baby-Sitter. How do you all feel? *passes tissues* hehe, anyway I just really appreciate everything, I owe so much to all of you. I hope you all feel that I ended this story with everything I have, and I'm doing my absolute best to make it amazing. _

_Thank you! :)_

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Lily sat there watching the children on the swings, each trying to fly higher than the other. Aaron, with his usual competitive grin, was goading his sister into doing a backflip over the top of the swing set. Although in the pit of her stomach she was bubbling with worry, Lily knew Jessie wasn't silly enough to do something like that.

The smaller girl shook her head and poked her tongue out at her older sibling, and threw her head back into a fit of giggles as she pushed her swing higher still. The wind whipped her hair over her shoulders, letting her fringe stick up in odd angles, reminding Lily of both of Jessie's older brothers.

She was lost in thought, her last afternoon with the children was going smoothly, and although tears threatened to fall at the thought of saying goodbye to them, she forced them back, knowing she would see them again during the holidays.

She didn't notice when a tall figure made his way towards her, his jacket billowing in the wind behind him as it was three times his size and he slid onto the seat beside her. They didn't say anything for a moment, until he broke the silence.

"You and Potter. It's serious isn't it?"

The redhead turned in the direction of the voice, and Severus Snape bit back the gasp he was about to let out. Lily's emerald eyes were dancing joyfully, her lips curving into a smile at the sight of her best friend.

She nodded slowly, the smile turning into a huge, beaming grin as she brushed her hair behind her ears as it tickled her face.

"It is. I love him, Sev" she said quietly, and she watched him turn his head away from her, his eyes closing in pain as the reality of those words crushed down upon his heart. His chance with her was over. Although, if he could be honest, it was over the moment he called her a M-

"I know you don't like him, but he really is a good person. He's changed over the summer" she explained, interrupting his thoughts.

Snape gave a hollow laugh, turning his deep black eyes back to face her.

"How do you know he hasn't just done that to trick you? How do you know-"

"Because he loves me, he told me so. And I believe him" she answered truthfully and Severus shook his head, annoyed at her.

"You're a fool" he said softly, and Lily knew he wasn't trying to be nasty, he just didn't understand.

"Sev… He makes me happy, and when I'm with him I can be myself. He accepts me for who I am, and he's not ashamed of me" she told him, her tone sounding almost patronising as he met her gaze, his cheeks colouring shamefully.

"I accept you-"

She raised her eyebrows at him, as though questioning his half-finished sentence. He broke off, shaking his head and sighing. He knew challenging this wouldn't get him anywhere. He was lucky even to be talking to her, what with what happened after their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L exam.

"Lily-"

"Sev, please just be happy for me. You're my best friend, I don't want us to be fighting like this" she said gently, reaching out a hand to intertwine her fingers with his kindly, as they always had when children. However, it had been years, and the moment her skin touched his he flinched, but of course, she took the wrong way as she pulled her hand back, glaring at him.

"So much for accepting me" she muttered darkly and Severus looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry. I just… I can't believe after all this time, you're with him. He's treated you horribly-"

"Like I said, he's changed. Maybe if you just gave him a chance, it would-"

"Forget it" he snapped, glaring off into the distance, his black eyes glancing at the children swinging for a second, and a ghost of a smile crept upon his face as he remembered the past between them spent on those swings.

"I want you to be happy" she murmured and he shrugged sadly.

"Well… Don't be with him. He'll only hurt you in time. It's James Potter, he's not a one woman kind of person" he muttered darkly, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"He's not fifteen anymore. He's grown up, even if you refuse to believe so." She was fed up, nothing she would say would change his mind, and it hurt her to know he didn't approve. He clearly didn't want her to be happy, like she did for him.

"I don't trust him anymore than I could throw him" he told her honestly, his eyes penetrating deeply into hers as they yearned to feel her lips upon his. He always had.

"I can't make you change your mind, but it would make me feel a bit better if you were on my side" she said quietly and he sighed loudly.

"I am on your side" he reassured her and she raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously.

"Really? Well I'm guessing it was no romantic rendezvous when you met up with Bellatrix Black at the end of last year? And a whole group of them at the train station, may I add" she answered, looking back at him fiercely.

Was it just her, or did his left arm flinch?

"Show me it" she said quietly, holding her hand out for his arm, his face turning whiter by the second.

"No."

It was a simple answer, but it was direct. However, Lily wasn't backing down.

"Show me your arm, Sev" she demanded more adequately this time, but still, he shook his head.

"I can't do that" he whispered, his eyes appearing afraid, and hurt.

She nodded slowly, her eyes meeting his defiantly.

"Well I guess there's no point in pretending anymore. I'm a Mudblood, Sev. You hunt down people like me. So why aren't you killing me right this second?"

He looked taken aback, not expecting this.

"I would never-"

"Save it. It was only a matter of time anyway" she snarled and stood up from the bench angrily.

"There was a reason you were at that wedding, wasn't there?"

He looked up at her sadly, not even bothering to answer her.

She sighed, her eyes showing nothing but betrayal.

"I want you to stay away from me. Don't come near me, or my family. Don't go near James' family. Just stay away" she told him, her voiced laced with pain which she saw reflected in his eyes.

He nodded slowly before standing up and striding away without another word, and if Lily didn't know any better, she would say he just about flew across the playground. She made her way over to the children who were laughing and teasing one another playfully.

"Hey guys, we should probably get going. I've got some things to do back at home. We'll get some ice cream" she suggested and their eyes lit up and Aaron jumped off the swing, landing on his feet at the edge of the swing set, making Lily remember when she and Petunia used to do that.

Jessie followed suit, but didn't land as far as her brother. However, she grabbed hold of Lily's hand and pulled her towards the ice cream van, with Aaron running ahead excitedly.

"Who was that greasy boy you sat with?" Jessie asked curiously and Lily shrugged sadly.

"I don't know anymore" she replied gently, and Jessie patted her hand and ran ahead with Aaron who was already choosing his preferred favour.

* * *

James and Sirius sat in the kitchen eating chicken soup, dipping their bread rolls in and eating them graciously. Lily had taken the kids out while Remus came over, looking worse for wear. His parents had been fighting, over him of course, and he just couldn't take it anymore. They sent him upstairs to sleep it off until he felt better.

The front door opened and their ears perked up instantly, but calmed down once they heard Aaron and Jessie bickering over who made it to the door first. Lily made her way through to the kitchen as they hurried up the stairs still arguing.

"Boy am I glad I was an only child before they came along" James joked, making Lily smile. Sirius gasped, dropping his spoon into his bowel and soup flying everywhere.

"What was I? The next door neighbour?"

James rolled his eyes at him.

"No, you were the feral one that rocked up during my later years, so I never got to fight with anyone besides my parents and my hair" he responded, flattening his messy hair self-consciously and then reached out for the last bread roll at the exact same time as Sirius.

They eyed each other for a moment, until both stood up and dived for it, their bowels up ending and soup flooding the table. They each had a grip on the roll, glaring at one another.

"Give it, Padfoot, you've had four already!"

"Well I'm a growing boy, so you give it" Sirius answered, tugging on it.

"Girls stop growing at this age, so clearly you don't need it" James responded, pulling it back his way.

It was only a matter of time before it would break in half. Sirius let out a loud gasp and yanked on it, causing the bread to rip down the middle. Lily stood there staring in astonishment, not sure whether she should go back upstairs to the more 'mature' children.

It was then that she made her decision as Remus walked into the kitchen, his shaggy hair all over the place and completely dressed. Having a mature person around made it more easy to balance out the 'children'.

"How was the park?" James asked biting into his roll as she tenderly sat down on the chair making sure there was no soup on it. Remus swished his wand and the table was tidy once more and he sat beside Lily with a smile.

She shrugged slowly. "It was good. Jessie and Aaron had a lot of fun" she said quietly and Sirius frowned at her.

"Are you sad because we're leaving tomorrow?" he asked pointing his roll at her.

She nodded and smiled at them. It was partially true; she was upset about that. But the fact her best friend was… She no longer wanted to think about it.

James winked at her kindly.

"Don't worry, we'll see them again soon" he promised and she smiled back at him and shrugged.

"I'll be okay" she reassured them.

Jessie and Aaron then joined them in the kitchen, with Cindy-Jane clutched in Jessie's arms. She sat beside Remus, blushing slightly and Aaron sat on the other side next do James.

Lily watched as Aaron stole the rest of his older brother's bun and all hell broke loose as James playfully tackled him to the floor.

She smiled sadly as she listened to the laughter amongst cheers from Sirius. When she was that age, she had just found out she was a witch. When she was ten, everything seemed perfect. She had her best friend and nothing could ever go wrong. Until she grew up, and her sister hated her, and her mother left her, and her own best friend turned against her. What was wrong with the world?

It was when James looked up at her and gave her that charming smile that she realized, she could be angry at the world. Not all horrible things had happened to her. Some pretty amazing things had worked their way into her life, and they were right here before her.

A heart-warming grin crept upon her face as Sirius joined the two brothers, all of them calling out for mercy, or bellowing war cries. It was definitely something to be positive about, despite the rest of the darkness to her world. After all, the light was the main part.

And these people helped her see that.

* * *

"I don't want you to go to school" Jessie whispered later that night when Lily was tucking her into bed happily. "I want you to stay with us forever!"

She chuckled, picking up Cindy-Jane and placing her under the quilt beside the young girl who was watching her every move sadly. The redhead glanced down at her, tucking a few strands of hair out of her face gently.

"You know I'll always be here for you, especially in the holidays. I can come and visit" she promised and Jessie's eyes lit up gleefully and nodded enthusiastically.

"That would be wicked!"

Lily smiled, her eyes never leaving the small girl's.

"I'll write to you at least once a week" she added and the smaller girl entwined her fingers with the older ones.

"Want a secret?"

Lily nodded slowly, leaning in slightly to emphasize the fact it would stay between the two of them.

"You're my best friend, but don't tell Sirius. Or Remus, I don't want them to be sad" she whispered and Lily grinned widely.

"I won't tell a soul" she swore, tracing a cross over her heart for emphasis.

"Thank you for helping Mummy, Lily. And James, and Daddy" she said softly touching Lily's knuckles gently, and looking right into her eyes intensely.

"No worries, it was my pleasure. I'll miss you kiddo, you look after your Mum and Dad okay?"

She nodded, a small tear sliding down her face.

"And will you look after James and Sirius? And, and Remus?"

Lily lifted Jessie's hand and kissed it softly, drying away the single tear on Jessie's face.

"Of course I will, and don't forget to look after Aaron. Because even if he might not show it, he really cares about you" she told her, smiling and Jessie had a funny disgusted look on her face.

"Grose!"

Lily chuckled, slowly standing up.

"I'm going to go and see him now. You be a good girl, and have a great time at school. I love you Jessie" she said giving the girl a hug and ruffling her jet black hair and Jessie blew her a kiss as he headed towards the door, and she blew one back.

"Goodnight, have sweet dreams" she called as she left the door open slightly. She made her way down to Aaron's door, slowly knocking on it and entered when he said for her to do so.

"Is Jessie sad?" he asked automatically as she walked over towards him and sat on the chair beside his bed.

"She'll be okay. I mean, I'm worried about you. Don't think I couldn't hear you crying from down the hall" she teased, and he poked his tongue out at her in response.

"I was not! I'm a guy, they don't cry" he said defiantly and she didn't bother to correct him otherwise. He would make his own assumptions of the world and come to realise the truths of it one day. But for now, he needed to keep his innocence as long as possible.

"I just want you to know that I'll miss you, Aaron. I know we weren't close at first, but-"

"I'm sorry for being a jerk" he interrupted, his cheeks bright red and she shrugged in reply.

"It's okay, I understand why. I hope I proved you wrong though. I'm still here aren't I?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're leaving tomorrow" he reminded her and she chuckled.

"I'm coming back though. And that's a different kind of leaving" she reminded him, poking his nose playfully and he crinkled it up like a pig, making her giggle.

"Look after Jessie okay? She wouldn't tell you this, but she's a bit scared about school. Just make sure she fits in okay, and has a good time. And most of all, I want you to enjoy it too" she said gently and he nodded carefully, smiling up at her and placing his Batman action figure beside him, giving her his full attention.

"Make sure James doesn't turn into a jerk again. I like him as the cool brother. Although, I'm definitely cooler" he added, and she laughed, pushing her fringe out of her eyes.

"Well, I can't argue with you there."

"If you tell anyone I said this, I'll lie and say you're crazy. But I'm going to miss you" he said quietly, his face growing redder by the second and she raised her eyebrows at him wearily.

"Wow, Aaron. Who knew you could be such a sensitive guy?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Are you sad?"

She smiled, looking over her shoulder for a second before looking back at him, thinking of how to answer that.

"I am, because I'm going to miss you too. And I'll miss Hogwarts once I'm finished. And who knows, this time next year you'll be going" she said with a grin and he nodded ecstatically.

"Do you think Jessie will be okay? When I go to Hogwarts I mean? I don't want to leave her here all by herself" he admitted, frowning and Lily pushed his fringe from out of his eyes so she could see him better.

"Of course she will be, I'll make sure of it myself" she promised and he held out his hand childishly, his smallest finger outstretched.

"I pinkie swear" she said joining it with his and they grinned at one another happily.

"I should go; you have school in the morning. Goodnight Aaron, be a good kid. Look after everyone while we're away okay?"

He nodded, sitting up and surprising her by pulling her into a hug but she smiled nonetheless.

"Never happened" he said pulling back and smirking and she poked her tongue out at him in return.

"I'll miss you, Lily. Thank you" he added and she nodded, ruffling up his hair as she did with Jessie's.

"I'll miss you too. Sweet dreams. I'll see you at Christmas" she promised, giving him a small wave as she left his room and closed the door quietly behind her.

She sighed sadly, tiptoeing down the stairs as Mr. and Mrs. Potter surprised her by waiting at the bottom.

"I didn't expect you home this early" she told them honestly, and Mr. Potter shrugged.

"We wanted to say goodbye, and express our thanks" he said pulling her into a gentle hug.

"It was my pleasure" she told him as she pulled away and he nodded, grinning at her.

"As it was mine. Look after the boys, make sure their pranks are underway the moment they step onto the train" he instructed and Mrs. Potter slapped his arm playfully and gave Lily a huge hug.

"I can never thank you enough" she said pulling away, looking her straight in the face and Lily blushed.

"Neither can I. I'm going to miss you, that's for sure" she said in a soft tone and Mrs. Potter nodded solemnly.

"You did a lot more than just babysit, Lily. You helped our children become better versions of themselves, and I'm grateful for that. You certainly have a gift for bringing out the best in people" she complimented and the redhead forced herself not to think of Severus, Petunia and her mother.

"Thank you, that means a lot. I'll see you both at Christmas" she promised giving them both one last final hug.

"Oh and Lily?" She turned to face the woman who had begun her way up stairs, pausing to say a few more things.

"Make sure James and the boys don't get up to any mischief, right dear?" she said, nudging her husband who only winked at Lily.

"I'll do my best. Goodnight" she said and made her way downstairs into the lounge room where James and Sirius were seated watching television. Remus had gone home earlier, hoping the fighting had settled between his parents.

"I'm heading off, I'll see you both in the morning" she said waving and James instantly shot out of his seat and began heading towards her.

"I'll walk you home" he said sweetly, and she couldn't help but smile.

"You don't have to" she murmured and he shrugged.

"I want to" he assured her, kissing her forehead tenderly and her eyes fluttered closed. _Oh how she loved those forehead kisses._

"I'm going to bed, night Lily. I won't wait up" Sirius added with a wink towards James and she rolled her eyes as he passed.

James snorted. "You're going to be waiting up for me in my bed aren't you?"

Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Okay yes, I am… Well we always have a sleepover on the last night of the holidays! Its tradition!" he exclaimed and both James and Lily shook their heads.

"I won't be long, Padfoot" he promised and Lily gave the boy a small wave.

"Night Sirius" she called and he bounded up the stairs whistling a merry little tune and James and Lily made their way out of the house and along the pavement.

* * *

They were sitting on her front doorstep, James' arm wrapped around her shoulders as she forced herself to tell him what was bothering her. Truthfully, he had asked her to tell him because he'd been sensing something about her all afternoon.

"I was talking to Severus today-"

James' usual sparkling hazel eyes turned dark instantly at the mention of their fellow seventh year whom he had never gotten along with. He watched Lily's facial expression, and his eyes softened when he realised how sad she was.

"What happened?" he asked gently, not wanting her to keep it all bottled up.

"You know when you think someone's a good person, and you put yourself out there to protect them from everyone else's opinions and they turn around and prove you it was just a waste of time?"

James stared at her curiously, a slight frown on his face.

"I can't say it's ever happened to me personally, but I get what you're saying" he said quietly, silently begging her to continue.

"Well he always said he'd never be like them, and now, he's one of them" she muttered bitterly, only causing James to become confused.

"One of what?" he asked before seeing the saddened look upon her face and the realisation suddenly dawned on him. "A Death Eater?"

His tone had completely changed, it was one of disgust. Anger.

She nodded solemnly before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"He wouldn't show me his mark, which made me all the more suspicious. I saw him with Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix and her gang of followers leaving the station at the end of term. There was a reason he was at the wedding, James. He was connected to the attack" she said quietly and he rubbed her shoulder affectionately.

"I'm sorry; I know he was your friend but… You're not still hanging around him are you?"

The sudden concern in his voice moved her, and she knew he just wanted to protect her.

She shook her head, sitting up straight.

"I told him to stay away from me. From us" she whispered and he nodded before kissing her nose gently.

"I love you, you know?"

It wasn't really a question; he just wanted to hear her tell him she knew. He wanted that reassurance so that he knew that she could count on him if needed.

"I do, and I love you too" she replied, nudging his nose with hers and he smiled at her.

"Why haven't you said 'I told you so' yet?" she asked and he rolled his eyes at her.

"I didn't want to seem like an insensitive prick" he joked, and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Okay so, I did tell you he wasn't the person you thought he was, and that was proved right, but I'm not going to gloat about that when clearly it upsets you" he told her, stroking her neck softly.

"Can I tempt you to stay with me tonight instead?"

He chuckled, knowing she no longer wanted to discuss Severus Snape.

"You always tempt me. However, the very manly sleepover Sirius and I are having is tradition as he says" he responded and Lily sighed half-heartedly, shrugging so that her singlet strap slipped down and James pulled it back up for her, kissing her shoulder.

"But… I'm sure we could have an even better sleep over" Lily told him, her green eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Has anyone ever told you how exceptionally nasty you are, Miss. Evans?" James asked, leaning forwards to kiss her lips softly but she pulled away at the last minute, leaving him to rest his head on her shoulder and groaning loudly, making her smirk.

"Just you" she said with a chuckle and he leaned back and stared into her eyes.

"Well I mean it in the nicest possible way" he assured her and she nodded in reply.

"Oh I'm sure you did" she said kissing his chin, ignoring his puckered lips.

He sighed, looking down at her.

"I should go; I promised Sirius I wouldn't be long. Besides, staying here any longer just might cause me to change my mind" he said smiling and he stood up, lending Lily a hand to help her up straight.

"I love you, James. I'll see you tomorrow" she said happily, smiling brightly at him and he grinned, leaning in and kissing her lips passionately, only too happy when she returned the kiss.

"I love you too, Lils. Have a nice sleep" he said pecking her lips once more and pulling her into a warm, tight cuddle and she smiled, nipping at his ear playfully before kissing it, causing his eyes to briefly close. They snapped open and he stepped back, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Sweet dreams, Potter" she said with a wink before opening the door, blowing a kiss and closing it behind her. He smiled and made his way down the footpath, humming a slow, cheerful tune.

* * *

Platform 9 and ¾ was crowded with students of all ages carrying assorted books, cages containing owls or furry cats, and trunks being pushed along on trolleys. Some were farewelling families, and this was where Lily was hugging her father goodbye.

"I'll write to you every day" she told him and he shook his head at her.

"Really Lily, I'll be fine. I'll have Petunia there when she's not with Vernon" he reassured her and she shrugged, pinching his cheek.

"I know, I just thought you might like the option" she said smiling up at him and he grinned.

"You look after yourself, hear me? And that boy of yours. I'll be seeing you at Christmas?"

She nodded and pulled him into a huge hug, and he patted her red hair fondly.

"You most certainly will. I love you, have a great day" she whispered kissing his cheek and he nodded, stepping back and petting her hand.

"I love you too, sweetheart" he replied, kissing her hand gently before turning and waving over at James who was conversing with Remus, Peter and Sirius. He waved back and jogged over, shook Mr. Evans' hand and Lily watched them swap dialogue before her father waved at her and left the station.

It was her last year at Hogwarts. She straightened up and pinned her Head Girl badge to her uniform, which she had changed into that morning and made her way over to James, who was heading towards her.

"Good morning my beautiful Head Girl" he greeted warmly and she instinctively knew he'd done something. He was far too cheery.

"What did you do?" she asked matter of factly and he smiled falsely at her, as though he hadn't the foggiest idea of what she's talking about.

"I don't understand, I simply-"

"WHY ARE ALL THE TRUNKS PINK?" a nearby Slytherin shouts and Lily raised her eyebrows at James.

"You were saying?"

"Well, it was a welcome back 'last first day ever' prank that Sirius and I spent all night concocting-"

"WHY IS MY OWL BLOWING BUBBLES FROM HER MOUTH!" a frightened third year girl shrieks and Lily looks towards the commotion where sure enough, her custard coloured owl is blowing pink and purples bubbles from its beak.

She instantly hurried over, Head Girl mode taking over as she swished her wand and the bubbles disappeared, the owl shaking it's head and coughing loudly.

"I'm very sorry for that, I'll make sure whoever did it will be punished" she promised turning back to face the mischievous Head Boy casually eating a chocolate frog with an innocent look upon his face.

She sighed, shaking her head and walking over to him once more, her eyes narrowing.

"James, don't make me take points away when we don't even have any to begin with" she murmured and he chuckled, giving her the charming well known Potter grin.

"Have a heart love, it's the first day back" he reminded her, pulling her into his arms and pecking her lips quickly. He winked and she sighed, knowing she couldn't positively-

"Are you going to punish him?" the small girl beside them asked, glaring up at the messy haired boy beside her.

"Yes, he's going to be receiving detention tonight" Lily responded glaring at her boyfriend who opened his mouth in protest. The girl nodded, satisfied, and turned away, hurrying back over to her family.

"Are you serious?" he whined, turning to face her and she shook her head.

"I'll let it slide this one time. But I swear James, if you-"

She broke off as he happily kissed her, interrupting her speech and she sighed, giving into him.

"Get a room you two!" called the voice of Sirius, who barged over and they pulled away from one another, blushing.

"We'd better get onto the train, it'll be leaving in a moment" Remus recommended and they all made their way towards the scarlet steam engine, smiling at it as they checked the station to make sure students were beginning to get onto the train.

"All aboard!" called a station conductor and the seventh years boarded the train amongst a throng of other students, young and old, as James grasped Lily's hand and kissed it, pulling her along behind him as they searched for a compartment with their friends.

Lily smiled to herself happily as they passed by a few excited but nervous first years who were staring around them with eyes as round as coins and whispering tentatively to other first years. She winked at them as she passed, remembering fondly of her own first day as the same scared and eager eleven year old.

And now it was her last first day back ever, six years later. As she looked at the four boys ahead of her, who were all smirking at one another, she knew that this was definitely going to be an interesting final year.

* * *

**A/N:**

**And that's the end!**

**I would like to take this opportunity to apologise profusely for the long wait when I said I'd have it done sooner, as usual a mountain of homework got in the way, so I am very sorry it took me this long to get the chapter to you, but thank you for being so patient.**

**Also a HUGE THANK YOU! To everyone who stuck by me, once again, you have all been so amazingly inspiring for me, and gave me the motivation to keep going. I owe you all so much.**

**I really appreciate the effort you all went to, what with leaving me amazing reviews and some more alerts and favourites. I am so thankful for you all and I hope you continue to stick by me and read my other story **_**'Love is the Heart of Acceptance, Hate is the Heart of Denial' **_**which is in my profile.**

**Please take the time to let me know what you thought and if you liked it or not. Thank you all once again.**

**Love always,**

_**LilyHeartsJames**_

**XOXOX**


	21. THANK YOU! :D

**Okay, so naturally this isn't another chapter (sorry to get all your hopes up!) but I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for your support and for sticking by me and continuing to read, review, favourite and alert this story. Thank you for being there right until the very end.**

**I really appreciate each and every single one of you and the inspirational motivation you gave me from reading each of your kind reviews; they really mean the world to me.**

**So remember; you helped this story become what it has, and I owe it all to you.**

**Until the next story,**

_**LilyHeartsJames**_

_**XOXOX**_


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